Secrets of the Woods
by Rogercat
Summary: There is secrets many are forced to keep silent about, and Dior Eluchil is one of those people. Rebirth have no healed all the trauma from the Second Kinslaying, and Celegorm is indirectly linked to one such secret...
1. Chapter 1

**1\. The escape from Thingol**

Rebirth was nothing uncommon among the Elves in Valinor nowadays, or at least for those who had spent a long time in the Halls of Mandos for healing from the trauma of their deaths.

Among those reborn Elves were Elu Thingol, the Sinda High King who once had founded the famed kingdom of Doriath. Since his old realm and the rest of Beleriand now rested below the sea as a result of the War of Wrath, he had been allowed to make a Sindar-centered court in the south of Valinor with Melian once again at his side, on the condition that they did not try to have another child. As far as the Valar saw it, another half-Maia could possibly cause trouble in the Blessed Realm despite the lack of Men there and the whole story with Luthien and Beren was better kept as one single event.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Nimloth, the great-granddaughter of Thingol's youngest brother Elmo, was one of those reborn Elves. Much to her secret delight and joy, Námo had offered her husband and sons the same choice as her grandsons, Elrond and Elros, back in the First Age once the War of Wrath had ended. Not wanting to spit up because of the already powerful trauma with their deaths in the Second Kinslaying and the first hours in the Halls of Mandos where Nimloth and Dior had been terrified for their little children's possible fate alongside the fear that Dior would have to join his mortal ancestors because of Beren and Luthien being mortals at his birth, Dior had chosen to be counted among the Eldar and their twin sons, too young to properly remembering their famed grandparents at their death, had wanted to stay with their parents. It also ensured that they could meet with Elwing again one day.

"My dear boys, can you please see if your Ada have arrived yet? It is pretty late for him to arrive home now, even for a meeting with his grandfather. And I really would hope to not having to keep his share of the dinner heated up for much longer, or all the sauce will boil away."

Eluréd placed his own crayon neatly in the small pile of them beside the drawing his had been making to do her request, while Elurín simply rushed to the front door. Perhaps they were a bit too eager to do their requested task, for they opened the door with such force together that their father Dior nearly landed on the floor because he had placed his hand on the doorknob just before his sons opened.

"Woah!"

By pure luck, the twins managed to catch him together, though it ended with all three on the floor just as Nimloth looked out from the kitchen area.

"Less strength next time, boys…." Dior whispered between his gritted teeth under their honest apology, feeling that the tendons in his arm began to protest against being pulled like that. He had no energy to be angry on them for a such simple mistake, not after that horrible afternoon spent with his grandfather who once again had proved himself impossible to please so matter what what Dior tried to do.

"You have that _heavy feeling of sadness_ again, Ada. You are almost never happy anymore, even around us."

Not a accusation, just stating a sad truth.

"I...am not feeling well, boys, and for that I am really sorry. It is not a illness or so, just...a huge sadness I can not really explain…I do not know if I even have a good word for it..." Dior admitted in a sad and tired voice as he absentmindedly touched the left side of his face with one hand, looking far older than his merely forty years of age, for it was only four springs since their shared rebirth and they did not exactly age as spirits in the Halls of Mandos.

"If you are sad, then we should keep you away from whatever it is that makes you feel like this!" Eluréd said, before Elurín added in a slightly higher voice:

"Yeah, you may even end up being sick from that sadness if you do get better soon, that is what Elrond said at his last visit here last summer when he grew worried about your health!"

How odd it was for them, two ten-year-olds, to be referring to their far older nephew in that manner. Then again, it was only thirty-two years between their births, and Elrond had avoided dying young like they had, mainly thanks to the mercy of Maedhros and Maglor at the Third Kinslaying.

"Actually, that is something I want to talk about while you eat your dinner, dear."

Dior knew from her tone that Nimloth meant seriousness, while a bowl of food was set at his place at the table. Her homemade food tasted far better than what had been served with Thingol a few hours earlier.

"Is it great-grandpa who makes Ada sad? He is not exactly nice to Ada at times…"

Straight on, of course. It was hard to hide things from the boys when they lived in a separate wing of Thingol's new palace.

"The same old complaints over how I lost both Doriath and how worthless I proved to be as King, when it actually was he who started it all with that idiotic idea of asking my father for a Silmaril as a bride-price…"

Dior were not the only one to feel that those complaints had gotten old already in the Halls of Mandos, Nimloth saw that her former King had no right to accuse her husband, his own grandson, for something that Dior had done his best to avoid.

"Actually, since Thingol seems to have made you his preferred scapegoat for the fall of Doriath rather than admitting his own part of it, and how he keeps hacking down on you in front of the whole court...do not deny it, dearest, you are slowly becoming a shadow of yourself because your self-esteem has been stamped down into the ground so many time now…"

Nimloth was right, Dior knew that he was slowly becoming more and more reclusive around the Elves at the Sindar court outside his own little family, out of fear for that Thingol would find yet another excuse to dismiss him as worthless.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Later that evening, after that Eluréd and Elurín was fast asleep in their own bedchamber after trying to cheer up their father before their bedtime that they simply wore out themselves as a result, their parents had another, more private problem.

It was not the first time that problem showed up for them, but for Dior with his already poor self-esteem, it was yet another proof of that something had to be wrong with him. This time he even started to cry from his feelings of failure.

"Dior. Dior, please, calm down...this is not your fault, it is your grandfather's endless nagging and complaints that tears you down…" Nimloth attempted to say without any sound of disappointment in her voice that her husband feared to hear, she tried to console him but he pushed her gently away with his right arm, still crying very hard as his back faced her, Dior already curling up under the blankets out of shame.

With him being born as a half-Elven originally, Nimloth knew that Dior suffered from various issues that most Elves generally did not, such as that he and the boys still could get stuck by illness at very rare times nowadays when they all three had chosen to be counted among the Eldar. And the last four years had not proved kind against Dior, especially not whatever Thingol was involved due to finding out another secret Dior had tried to only have her knowing about.

Nimloth was not sure how Thingol had found out, whatever Dior had been a bit careless around people or if there had been a revealing hint to his behavior that Thingol had guessed due to hid ancient age, but she could still remember that horrible day when her husband had been summoned to his grandfather's private office, and returned home with all the signs of having been treated to a heavy beating by Thingol's own fists, his whole body still trembling in shock. And while that physical abuse did not happen too often since Thingol did not want people to notice the bruises Dior would end up with on places that could be covered with clothing, he still were not above using emotional abuse, often with belittle Dior's status at the court and deny him anything in which he could be useful. And the victim blaming about the Second Kinslaying was taking its toll on Dior.

Not many hours later, Nimloth woke up by a sound beside her. It was Dior, mumbling in sleep and moving around on his side of the bed. But the cold sweat on his brow, the clenched teeth and the hisses of pain revealed something worrying; he had nightmares about that fatal duel against Celegorm, where they had slain each others.

 _The sounds of battle everywhere, screams and running feet. The minor pain in his left arm as Dior managed to slam his triangular wooden shield into Celegorm's face, forcing the Fëanorian to fall over on his back with blood from both mouth and nose, him not first reacting due to the sudden shock caused by the hit. It was by pure luck that one of Dior's_ s _lain bodyguards had used his last breath to force the steel helmet off him, and that had made the third-born son of Fëanor a easier target for attacks against the head. Knowing how dangerous the Oath, and not to mention the rejection from Luthien so long ago that had caused his hate to burn even more, had made Celegorm into a shadow of his former self as a Noldor prince in Valinor, Dior knew that he might only have one chance._

 _Before Celegorm could react, a sword was buried into his throat. Above him, neither one moving in that moment that seemed endless, he saw Dior's_ _face revealing how much he hated to do that, his grey eyes shining as he wanted to cry. Crying for a enemy, that could had been a ally, or maybe even his father if things had gone different between Luthien and her two suitors. Trying to not let his tears blinding him, Dior removed the sword, and Celegorm coughed up blood from his mouth, blood that stained the floor below him and his silver hair red. Dior may be a grown man by the standards of the Second-Born, old enough to be a married father of three children, but in just that moment his Elven side showed through, revealing his youth._

 _But Celegorm did not intend to leave for the Halls of Mandos in a passive manner. For a moment, Dior's face blended into that of Luthien's despite that Dior had some of Beren's facial features, his chestnut brown hair becoming her black curls. And Celegorm's heart once again felt that anger, humiliation over that Luthien had chosen a short-lived mortal over him. Grabbing hold of Dior's left ankle and making him lose balance so Dior knelt over his waistline before grabbing hold of his right hand with the sword to prevent Dior from moving away, Celegorm drove a hunting dagger in his own left hand across the first of two layers on the young King's leather armour, well-used in the past before he had succeeded his grandfather as King of Doriath, so a weak spot just above Dior's groin area was exposed. Despite dying Celegorm proved why his late father had named him Turcafinwë, "Strong Finwë" as a father-name, and a new cut across that exposed flesh was enough to create a deep wound on Dior since he was unable to move away from the attack, fatal enough to become a internal bleeding that would kill him unless Dior managed to get medicinal treatment quickly..._

"...Dior, Dior! Wake up!"

Someone shaking his shoulders, and Dior forced himself to wake up. His eyes met those of Nimloth, and he already knew from earlier nightmares that he must be holding a hand against where Celegorm once had cut him, the remaining scar there would not fade unless he managed to be free from that trauma.

"This can not go on, the nightmares of your death is one thing, but I have enough of Thingol treats you like he does! We are leaving! Tonight, if we can, I have a rough guess of the guard swifts from a kind maid in the kitchen area..."

She was already up from the bed, still wearing her nightgown while opening the wardrobes where their clothes was placed unless used. Not even looking at the finer clothes meant for court, she tossed more random pieces of everyday wear, from all four seasons, into several travel bags they had stored on a shelf.

"But if we simply runs away….we will need a place to hide so grandfather can not find us so easy...and we are bound to stand out in some way, it is not many Elflings who are twins like Réd and Rín...and your maternal Silvan lineage is strong in your veins, beloved…" Dior spoke in a thin voice, still somewhat in shock from the nightmare and in honest disbelief over what she was doing, referring to his wife's slightly darker skin tone than his own. In return, a warm tunic and a pair of riding leggings was tossed at him.

"Get dressed as quickly as you can. I am waking up the boys and helping them to pack the most necessary. Elwing needs to be informed of that we will no longer live here, if she want to visit. Write a note that will be placed among the letters to be delivered with messenger birds in the morning!"

Dior found no way to opposite his wife about this sudden idea that was not even fully thought out outside that they had to leave. She was right, he would very well end up back in the Halls of Mandos eventually if he kept living around Thingol, this time possibly from a suicide caused by snapping under everything his grandfather saw as wrong in him, or being broken from what Thingol did in his unhelpful attempts to " _correct_ " his grandson. He could not do that to his family, not when his pride over the Silmaril had led to their deaths once.

Once Dior had packed some bread, cheese, a few fruits and nuts for them to eat for the first days on the road among with filling some water skin, Nimloth came out with their sons, both half-asleep but dressed and carrying one favorite toy each so they could have something familiar with them.

"Where are we going? And how will we manage to hide that we have run away? We will be hunted once it is clear that we are gone," Dior had to ask in uncertainty, and it was perfectly understandable that he was worried.

" _ **The woods of Oromë.**_ Thingol will think of searching for us in the bigger cities or villages first, it is not uncommon that families with children wants to live close to places where they can get help or have quick access to necessary things if something happens. And Melian used to be a Maia serving both Vána and Estë before meeting your grandfather, but I think she would try and keep our disappearance a secret that she and Thingol have to solve together at first, before getting any outside help in searching for us. _Besides, you and the boys can still suffer unexpectedly from illness even if you chose the Eldar, right? A unexpected pneumonia, like back when both you and the boys had to suffer a whole month of coughing and fatigue when they was two years old._ "

Dior groaned weakly at that memory as he was handed Eluréd to carry in his arms so they could hurry. It had not been fun to be ill and having to stay in bed that whole time until he was well again, when Nimloth alone had to do all the indoor chores and tend to the vegetable garden and field where they had grown crops so they would not be dependent on cereals from Doriath which had to transported all the way, or generosity from the Green-Elves.

"...yes, setting up a note on the door that we are ill and that you are best left alone to nurse us. Perhaps even a request to send for Elrond if we do not show up in seven days? That should be enough time for us to escape to one of the bigger crossroads, at least," he suggested, a weak hint of humour in his voice now when he began to drift more and more towards the hope of finally getting free from Thingol and his disappointment.

"With greatest pleasure," Nimloth smiled, before kissing him on the cheek to encourage him to not back out from this chance of freedom. Then, once they had set up the note about the false illness on their door, they sneaked away into the shadows of Thingol's palace.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note:

Credit for the inspiration to the flashback between Dior and Celegorm goes to the Tolkien artist Idahlrillion on her Tumblr page, from a AU image of Maedhros and Fingon

The idea of Nimloth having a darker skin tone is partly because I have seen many fine fanart of Tolkien characters as non-European in appearance and to trying avoid the cliché of a white woman with a husband of different skin tone or the opposite, a native maiden falling for a white man, Eluréd and Elurín are meant to have mixed skin tones from their parents, they look lighter than Nimloth but not as pale as Dior.

I liked the idea of Dior wearing a leather armour in his last battle because:

1) he had grown up outside Doriath and likely was not used to wearing steel armour before he became King of Doriath, he would most likely be more comfortable in what he was used to wear from earlier. Both his birth-place Tol Galen and his later home at Lanthir Lamath where he and Nimloth probably moved after their wedding was rather distant in travel from Doriath

2) it would also show the contrast between him and Celegorm in terms of combat experience, Dior was born just two years before the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, the last great battle against Morgoth before the War of Wrath, while Celegorm had survived all the attacks from Morgoth before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mysterious disappearance**

Now, it was not a unusual sight in Formenos that Elrond sometimes was visiting the reborn Maedhros and Maglor, the latter having died from drowning in the sea out of despair when he had learnt about Sauron killing his nephew Celebrimbor. The rest of the House of Fëanor had been reborn as well, on the condition that they lived in the north of Valinor with Formenos as their new home and did not try to create any more weapons unless there was a necessity.

"Ada Maglor! Uncle Maedhros! A crisis have happened down in the south where Thingol rules, I have ridden straight from there! _My grandfather Dior and his family are missing!_ " Elrond called out loudly while dismounting his horse and running upwards the front stairs of stone.

"Missing?! How did that happen?" Maedhros wondered, rushing up from the chair out in the front garden where he just had been reading a book, which now laid forgotten on the small table beside the chair.

"I got a written request to come there and treat grandfather and my uncles for some illness grandmother Nimloth wrote that they had caught due to the rather cold winter this year, since their immune systems have not yet developed to that of true Elves. When I arrived to Thingol's palace, everyone claimed that grandmother had not been seen for several days, not even for getting some fresh food for her family. The door to their living wing had to be broken up for me to enter, and there was no sight of anyone living there for several days," Elrond described, looking and sounding understandably worried.

"Kidnapping? I know that there is a few of our former followers who could want Thingol to suffer for not giving the Noldor more help against Morgoth and his descendants would be a good target, but those are still locked up in the Halls of Mandos. And Celegorm or Curufin knows better than trying anything like that, they will only end up imprisoned in the Halls for one hundred years as punishment and none of us want to be back there for a good while."

Elrond shook his head.

"If there was a kidnapping, Thingol would have gotten a ransom note already. In fact, most of their clothes and a few personal belongings had been taken as well…"

"Sounds like they did run away by their own will instead, then, but why? Surely Melian would have felt something, since it is her Maia blood they carries in their veins?"

That was not a answer Elrond had ready. He had a feeling that it was more than possibly just running away, after all there had to be a reason to why the whole family had vanished and not just Dior, Nimloth or the twins.

"Actually, Melian was away from his realm when they vanished, she was visiting some old friends among the Maiar serving Varda and Manwë when it happened, Mount Taniquetil is in central Aman after all, not in the south and even a Maia need some time to travel across Aman, especially clad in a body of flesh and blood like Melian. Anyway, I came here to tell about this and also possibly warn you, if Thingol get the crazy idea of accusing your family for their disappearance…"

Maedhros just did a facepalm in irritation.

"That is something impossible, Melian honestly should know from her fellow Maiar that we are not allowed anywhere close to Thingol's realm for sake of keeping things peaceful, and she would have told her idiot Elf to husband that fact."

Offering Elrond a room where he could rest from the journey, Maedhros went to search for his family members so they could know about this.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Elrond had perhaps rested for two hours or so, when one house-servant knocked on the door to his guest room. It seemed like he had gotten a express delivery from Celebrian, something that had arrived to their home a few days after his departure to Thingol's realm, and then attempted to make the packet follow in his path.

"Unusual for her to send something all the way here, unless she want our opinions on secret gifts for your begetting-day and marriage anniversary," Maglor commented as Elrond borrowed a small table to open the packet on. The healer did not respond on what his foster-father said, he was too focused on trying to get up the somewhat difficult knots Celebrian had made in order to not have the packet open during the delivery. Finally, he simply cut up the knots with a small knife he always carried in his belt, a habit he had picked up from Maedhros as a means of protection in childhood.

"A book? No, it seems more like a diary, not the private kind but rather the kind used to keep notes on for important events around the year. Celebrian uses a similar one to know when it is the begetting-days of various relatives."

But Maedhros had already spotted something that stood out from the diary, a gentle pull out from the shut pages revealed a separate drawing done in rather childish hands, of a very tall stick figure with silver hair surrounded by fire, in the manner either meaning anger or someone wishing that person to be killed by a Balrog.

"I think that is meant to be Thingol, I recognize my uncles' way of drawing him. They are pretty good at simple portraits of their parents nowadays but keeps to the more childish stick figure-style whatever it is a person they dislike," Elrond smiled a little sadly at remembering the hand style.

A look inside the diary at a random page revealed several drawn portraits of Dior in different poses and the handwriting of Nimloth as the possible owner or at least writer, but something seemed unusual in the drawings. There was a almost haunted look in Dior's eyes even as the drawing was not directly of his face, and the poses that of a person trying to hide something with either hands or clothing.

Suddenly Maedhros simply snatched the diary from Elrond and moved to the first two pages, where a horrible drawing was seen; Dior, who was weeping openly in pain with several bruises on his face like he had been fit with fists with no way of defending himself, and what seemed to be blood dripping from his left ear into his hair and shoulder. At the writing page, Nimloth had written down the date of the event and the exact amount of injuries her husband had gotten. And who that had caused Dior to suffer so.

" **That** _ **thrice-cursed**_ **Sinda King! Just what is going on in that thick head of his!? Yes, Dior allowed his own pride to cloud his judgement of what to do with the Silmaril and us, but given his age back at the Second Kinslaying we have at least agree that part of his actions were a folly of youth! It is not like he had the gift of foresight to see what would happen!** " Maedhros growled like a animal at reading though the diary and seeing more drawings of Dior being physical hurt by Thingol again and again, each time marked with the date and the exact injures Dior had suffered. Elrond's eyes were wide from shock at seeing the drawings and recalling his last visit to Dior's family last summer, his grandfather had claimed that his broken left arm had been caused by slippering on the wet floor in the bathroom, that kind of unexpected accidents not even Elves were immune against, but he had almost recoiled the moment Elrond had touched him in order to ensure that the court healers had set the bones right under the bandage.

"That explains why grandmother Nimloth or their sons was able to touch him without causing him to flinch, back then….!" Elrond gasped in realization, wanting to slap himself for failing to see the possible hints of abuse back then in his grandfather's behavior, especially in how he tried to avoid being seen by Thingol?

Had Dior already at that time starting to associate a touch from someone of the same gender as a sign of incoming pain? Elrond had dealt with victims of abuse among mortals back in Middle-Earth, knew that some of the most common victims were those who was viewed as different from the rest, or when alcohol was involved. However, Thingol was not known to be overfond of wine, and while Elrond knew that the relationship between Thingol and Dior was not the best due to Thingol openly preferring that Dior had been sired by anyone else than Beren.

"That old argument between them about the Second Kinslaying is something I heard about already before I even got to finally meet my maternal grandparents face to face….unless, from the angle Thingol seems to have stricken Dior the most, based on the drawings….no, do not tell me that…!"

Elrond grew cold inside when he remembered a particular detail about Dior, something Elwing had slowly forgotten over her life due to how young she had been when he died, a small child on three years could not exactly be expected to recall much normal details when her strongest memory of her father was of him wearing the Silmaril.

He was brought back to the present when Maedhros called to his mother Nerdanel in the other end of the house:

"Ammë, are Tyelko still in the Woods of Oromë? We should tell him about this in case Thingol tries anything funny…watch the pages, Atar, they could be a valuable evidence and testimony about that something is not right in Thingol's family!"

Now Fëanor himself had arrived from his forge where he had been busy earlier, removing his sooty leather gloves before taking the diary from his eldest son to see what all the disturbance in his home was about.

"We need to wait with bringing this to my father until that Dior and his family are found, he is already dealing enough with grief over how Thingol had changed from how he remembered him in their youth. Learning that his close friend actually treats his own grandson like this, would be a massive shock."

"Only because Grandfather himself spoiled all sixteen of his grandchildren rotten no matter which son we were born from, though he still favored us seven slightly more because of you, Atar," Maedhros remarked with a side-glare, not scared at all by the dark look Fëanor sent him. Fëanor's infamous temper from the past was but a memory now, cooled down a lot in grief over what his sons had suffered due to the Oath. Even so, a angry outburst from him nowadays was less scary for his eldest son after the imprisonment in Angband and the long wars against Morgoth in the First Age.

"Send messengers for your brothers who are away from Formenos to see if they can spread out the warning about that Thingol might accuse us for the disappearance, that way his suspicions is bound to reach the royal court of Tirion like a rumour of Thingol wanting to cause unneeded trouble out of the blue, especially as we have not even taken one step closer to his realm than absolutely necessary. If Dior and his family already have been gone for a month without being found by Thingol, they have likely chosen a escape route that avoids the big cities, it is not unheard of that notification of a missing person are set up in big squares and markets where a lot of people gather, and they are bound to draw attention with the twins around them even if they claims that they are just a common set of brothers born unusual close in age.

"I knew that there is a few Avari tribes living in the mountain of Hyarmentir, since the Valar cleaned it of the evil of Ungoliant after the creating the Sun and Moon. Rumours even says that some of the Dwarven clans might live there, those whose origins is from the Orocarni in the far East of Middle-Earth. Celebrimbor was rather interested about the Dwarven rumors, especially as he should have arrived there two weeks ago if he was not taken by surprise by Thingol's people for interrogation about this new mess that is bound to happen when his direct heir is missing alongside his family," Caranthir spoke up from his seat at the dinner table with a large book open in front of him, writing down numbers as he had been put in change of controlling trade here in Formenos due to his skills with money.

"Why do you think people claim that he is almost having a Dwarvish obsession with crafts, outside that he no longer creates rings due to what he links it to?" Maedhros questioned, knowing already that a message from Celebrimbor had arrived that very morning to tell them that he was fine and had arrived to the mountain. Borrowing a spare quill from Caranthir, he wrote down the short messengers to be sent to his other brothers.

"Tyelko should remain in the Woods of Oromë for the summer if Thingol ends up being a idiot about this, he spoke of possibly invite new members of the sect created to the honor of Oromë in his last letter home and that happens most often during summer and autumn when the weather is warmer," Nerdanel recalled, checking over a few letters she had spared in a small box to ensure that she had been right.

"Well, part of the compromise for his release from the Halls of Mandos and rebirth was that Oromë would keep him as a follower with limited travel outside his Woods, since he already knew our son from before."

Fëanor tried hard to not start complaining about this again. He hated every time his sons were spread out in Valinor outside Formenos with strict supervision to keep a eye on their actions, but he knew that it was way better than them being locked up in the Halls of Mandos, or worse. He had already doomed them once because of his own poorly chosen words and actions, they would not have to suffer because of him a second time if he could avoid it.

"Elrond, stay here for a while until that we might get a clue to where Dior, Nimloth, Eluréd and Elurín are hiding. It could be that they were not joking about needing medical attention, especially if Dior suffered another beating that became the last drop before the the glass overflows," Maglor requested, using the Elven term for when someone's already stretched-thin patience had reached its limits.

"Yes, I just recalled a detail about my grandfather that likely would indirectly invite Thingol to strike him from a special angle…"

Elrond did not dare to mention what kind of detail it was, Dior had pleaded with him to not reveal it for others since there was a very high risk of it becoming the reason for ill-intentioned gossip that once again would put Dior in disfavor as a young, foolish King who had gotten himself killed and maybe even blackmail if Dior really was that unlucky.

"That detail is not for you to mention, yes. There is that little thing called professional secrecy that all healers have to keep."

As Maedhros went to send off the messenger birds to his brothers and a few loyal servants who lived in Tirion with the task of keeping track of any dangers against the House of Fëanor there, Elrond desperately hoped that Celegorm would not run into Dior or his family face to face somehow. Only Eru could know how each one may react on seeing the other, given the horrible way they both had died so long ago.


	3. Chapter 3

**A given mission**

As unusual as it was even among their fellow Valar, who generally stayed faithful to each other, so did actually Vána allow Oromë to bed his worshippers, be they his own Maia servants or the Elves who followed him, as long as it happened in his own Woods where Manwë was unlikely to notice and take offence. After all, as she one had said after that he found the first Elves, he had found himself attached to a few of them and why deny him something that brought him joy? Besides, with Oromë as the Lord of Forests and thus basically was a god of the wild, did the more idealistic Manwë really expect the Huntsman of the Valar to not feel the change of seasons the longer as time passed?

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Deep, gasping breaths of passion. The sound of a sparking fire in the hearth not far from where the carved bed of wood and bedding made of a thick layer fresh grass and straw before several furs had been laid over to keep warm, stood close to where the seat of honor would stand in the opposite end of the longhouse. This bed was way more massive in size and decorated than the other beds around, befitting a Valar.

"Master...please...please, give me more…" a silver-haired male Elf gasped as he was taken from behind on his knees, powerful thrusts against his own flesh almost sending him falling face down in the soft furs. A bigger hand, tanned from long days outside in the sun, kept him steady as the next thrust came.

"You really like it rough when you are the one being taken, are you not, Tyelkormo? Are it because it is me, or just a hidden desire to _be dominated_?" Oromë breathed in his ear, stopping his movements as he spoke. A soft wail in protest followed, for Celegorm craved more of the pleasure, trying to arch himself backwards to move his own body. Yet the Valar held a firm hold around his hips, preventing him from moving. When Celegorm did not answer at once, Oromë made one hard thrust down to make him hurry up.

"...yes...yes! B...both of them, master!"

It seemed like Oromë was pleased with the answer, for he pressed Celegorm further down into the furs with himself above the Elf, nearly burying the Fëanorian in rewarded pleasure by taking him in that kind of deep thrusts Celegorm craved when being the one bedded rather than on top and touching the Elf's own manhood, tenderly massaging it as he thrusted in a steady rhythm. After what felt like ages Celegorm let out a howl of pleasure as he came, a low growl above him told that the Vala liked his performance in bed.

His body still shining with sweat, red faced enough to match Caranthir on one of his worst days, Celegorm could only shudder as he finally was released from the Vala's hold around his hips. But Oromë was not done yet, laying down on his back while pulling up Celegorm, taking him as Celegorm rode the Vala. The feeling of being penetrated so deeply made him gasp and close his eyes, trying to enjoy the moment. Oromë was always the one to take and never to be taken when bedding someone, a show of reminding his lovers that the Valar had been created first by Eru long before His Children, but he could be tender and loving to those who won his favor or personal attention in some way. Celegorm had fought hard to become one of those rare favorites again, under the long years after his rebirth where he had not exactly been locked away but still needing to carry a symbolic thin silver chain between his ankles and wrists as a sign of that he was not fully forgiven for the deeds he had done under the Oath. Even right now, several centuries after that he had been forgiven in a formal ceremony where he confessed his sins as a Kinslayer and showed sincere regret over what he had done, Celegorm still insisted on keeping the thin silver chain around his throat, a personal reminder of what could happen if he tried to become that shadow of himself once again.

"I have a mission for you, Tyelkormo."

The words was so unexpected that Celegorm opened his eyes in surprise, trying to keep himself still so he could listen better on what the Vala would say, despite still being ridden and being on the way towards a new climax.

"Y-yes?" he hissed, mentally cursing that Oromë had chosen this moment for such talk rather than focusing on what they was doing, wondering if the Vala was toying with him just for fun.

"A new family of a married couple and their little sons, all four reborn Elves from Middle-Earth around the later part of the First Age, arrived here to my Woods seven days ago, pleading for sanctuary from the outside world. They are on the run from some unpleasant relatives of the husband, who seems to have become a scapegoat for something he could not really control in their first life. Also, he carries the emotional signs of not be treated well by those relatives either, I could sense it in his aura."

"Bloody bastards!" Celegorm cursed between clenched teeth from one noticeable strong thrust that was felt all the way up in his stomach, not meaning the refugee family but the relatives whose actions had driven the family away, "They need protection then, I guess?"

One of the lesser known roles among Oromë's followers was to protect those who sought sanctuary in his Woods. Abuse was not common among the Eldar, but it was not unheard of that it could happen to Elves who were purified Orcs and reborn as Elves, since Námo sometimes had trouble to clean such souls off all the evil and taints from Morgoth despite many centuries in the Halls before a such rebirth. Especially Elves who saw themselves as deeply faithful to the Valar by never following the Noldor into the famed Exile from Valinor, were not above being unkind to those Elves who once had been Orcs or Exiles. There had been pretty a good number of such scandals in the past years. Celegorm could still remember the social outrage and shock from Tirion as Maedhros had started a orphanage in Formenos which specialized in Elflings that was former Orcs, his eldest brother claimed that it was out of compassion for those who had never known kindness as orcs, only brutal suffering that often was given to the weakest, the lowest of the low in the pecking order in Angband and Mordor.

"Yes. Not from those pious ones, but from relatives who refuses to admit their own part of a foolish deed which happened in the past. I thought that you would like to do something different this summer even if I know that you are pleased with your task of inaugurate the new followers," Oromë confirmed in his deep voice. Then he thrusted extra hard into Celegorm, a silent sign of that the Vala trusted him to not mess up with this mission.

"Yes! I will...do it!" Celegorm gasped in answer, moaning and throwing his arms behind his head while still keeping the kneeling position over the thick manhood that had buried itself so deep into him, playing with his earrings of wolf teeth and loose hair in a erotice move to bring Oromë to climax. Right after, Celegorm collapsed down on the strong chest, unable to move.

"No more...can not...take anymore…" he whispered in a hoarse voice from all the screaming he had done. Oromë had fucked him nearly all day, a rare thing to happen outside the annual big hunting events since he did not want his other favorites in bed to feel neglected. Celegorm was used to sharing bed partners, both male and female, it was part of life as a follower here unless you was married. It was either to take or be taken, preferring just one way in bed was seen as being rude.

"I am satisfied enough. Sleep now and rest, Tyelkormo. I will tell you more of the mission when the morning comes."

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Celegorm was still sore the next morning when he woke up and tried to dress himself without too much pain, but knew that it was partly his own fault for likening to be taken in a rough way. Oromë refused to take a unwilling partner, he saw it as something only wicked beings would do and those who broke that rule was often punished in a manner that reminded everyone of his more feral side, a wild animal keeping control over a pack. Even if he was no longer as vain and proud of his own beauty as he once had been been before the Darkening of Valinor, Celegorm would rather avoid being marked by Oromë's clawed hands in a such manner that great scars was left in the face. After the scars Maedhros had suffered after Angband, especially that large one on his right side that had made him blind in that eye, the scars left by Oromë looked less horrible but everyone in the Woods would see and know the crime for such punishment.

"Morning, Huan. Yes, I am fine, just sore after using both mouth and ass yesterday," he greeted the Hound who came running to his own private bed, intending to give him the usual morning lick with his long tongue as greeting.

Since Celegorm did not trust himself to ride a horse yet without pain, he chose to instead use the day for more information about his new mission. Those who were given sanctuary by Oromë would often be given code names from the places they got as temporary home, for the sake of keeping their real identities hidden if someone came to look for them.

"Waterfall village, huh? The hut furthest to the east there, about five minutes walk from the rest of the village. Must mean that the husband is anxious to meet people more than necessary, if he was not treated well by his relatives before the whole family ran away a month ago…"

It did not matter what identities the family had before coming to the Woods, if Oromë wanted Celegorm to keep them safe, so would he do so, Protection missions was not something the Fëanorian had done much in the past, but he hoped that the Vala had chosen him for his skills gained in Middle-Earth. If things got ugly, he might need his battle experience. And Oromë had put a spell over his Woods so people would not die if a actual fight with deadly weapons broke out, only giving them bad injuries.

"Hmm….yes, the large cave there around Waterfall village would be a good hideout, nice and cosy as a temporary home for a few days or weeks. Plenty of room for both Huan and the horse close to the opening, I can use the inner part as my private place."

Somewhat absent minded, Celegorm touched a faint scar on the right side of his throat, the thin silver chain being there to hide it somewhat from open view. The reminder of how Dior Eluchil had managed to kill him, despite the King's youth and little experience of battle. Lucky strike or not, Celegorm had earned some small respect for Dior despite being his killer, the half-Elven at least had been more active in his deeds than his grandfather and mother, ranking him far above them in Celegorm's view on things when it came to the royal family of Doriath. A part of him was still angry over Luthien rejecting him as a suitor, but nowadays he thought that the princess of Doriath would likely not have proven herself a good match for him or anyone else of his unwed relatives.

"She was too reserved in not showing her feelings that openly, almost like a statue…"

Fairest of them all, yes, but proving herself to be far too much trouble as a possible bride married into the House of Fëanor. No, if Luthien had wanted that mortal, she could keep him as a husband. Both in this world and when the world was made anew one day.

Oromë had suggested several times that Celegorm could perhaps enter that kind of partnership that was not exactly a marriage, but a relationship where two people slept with each other but otherwise not much contact. Yet Celegorm was not absolutely sure of doing a such thing. Not that he was picky about sexual partners, no, far from it, but he preferred a certain type and lately he had struggled with finding someone he honestly wanted to bed.

Well, life could be worse. It was not like he was back in the Halls of Mandos with no chance of freedom again, after all. Everyone had the ups and downs of life, or things would turn boring rather quickly. Besides, his protection mission was maybe not the most glorious task to do, but if there was people in need of help, Celegorm would ensure that they was safe as long as he watched over them.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note:

Once again credit for inspiration comes from the Tumblr artist Idahlrillion, her version of Maedhros after his time in Angband seemed to fit the First Age in this story and her design of him also inspired another detail that will be revealed later. Her design of Elrond is also the one I imagined for this story

What Oromë is mentioned to have suggested for Celegorm, is what we in modern terms calls friend with benefits


	4. Chapter 4

**Meeting in the Woods**

As far as Dior cared in this very moment, Nimloth's idea to escape to the Woods of Oromë had proved to the best choice. He knew that Thingol distrusted the Huntsman of the Valar, finding him too feral for his taste despite that Melian once had served Oromë's own consort. Or perhaps it was that Thingol had gotten used to his Maia wife as a ideal of the power and grace that could be found here in Valinor, finding the rest far from what he liked by the ones created by Eru the All-Father before Arda had been created.

"Hopefully they will not think of searching for us here, at least not before summer have passed…" he thought while carrying some firewood he had been chopping behind the cottage. In a odd, almost dream feeling of nostalgia, he felt that the cottage somehow reminded him of the house he and Nimloth had lived in during their years at Lanthir Lamath. Despite only being two years old when they had left that home for Doriath, with Elwing just newly conceived under Nimloth's heart, Eluréd and Elurín seemed to have a possible memory somewhere in their minds.

Sure, Dior had been at unease around Oromë when he had sensed their arrival, only to show up himself and asked what they had planned to do in his Woods, but the Huntsman had proved a very welcomed manner when they had told him that they needed to hide from problematic relatives in the south, and even personally guided them to the village where they now had been living for ten days. That alone had given Dior a feeling of that perhaps things could indeed turn out to become better, that his problematic life would change.

"I was stuck by some daydreams before I remembered the firewood," Dior attempted to apologize when he came back inside, his arms filled with said wood. However, he had not needed to worry much, Nimloth actually seemed pleased by that confession.

"I see it as a sign of that you are not terrified for your own shadow anymore, dearest. You had almost began to jump at the slightest noise before we left."

She kissed his cheek as she accepted the firewood from him, making him blush slightly. Nimloth had never once treated him as the inferior partner in their relationship because he was so much younger than herself, she had understood from a early point in their relationship that Dior's mortal blood made him different, something that she was drawn to since she wanted to stand out a little from others herself. And she had truly accepted that little secret of his, she saw it as part of his being.

"The boys are in the village and playing with their new friends, I guess?"

Eluréd and Elurín had been overjoyed to spot other Elflings in the small village they had moved to, and was there almost everyday to play if they could. For their parents, it was a sign of that they did not miss living in Thingol's palace, at least for now.

"I saw that there was a place with asparagus growing a bit further up along the river, where the villages are allowed to farm. Shall I bring home some for dinner tonight?" Dior suggested, wanting to help his wife with something so she would not do all the cooking and such.

"Yes, a such soup would be nice, with freshly baked bread. Some basil, for example. I know that basil bread was one of the things you came up with for making our own bread once," she smiled in return, making a mental jump of joy when he actually seemed eager to do the task. Nimloth hoped that Dior would try and recreate more of those recipes he once had made in order to enrich their food with new tastes, she was the better cook due to the age difference but before his Kingship Dior had not been afraid of making experiments with the food or suggesting new ideas. Perhaps there was a chance of his old personality coming back now when they no longer were around Thingol, she missed how her younger husband had been more open to smiling in those days when they focused on their own little family and to keep themselves fed.

Dior nodded, taking a good wicker basket they had gotten from the villagers among several other useful welcome gifts.

However, as he had finished picking the asparagus and started looking for basil herbs, Dior felt the first drops of rain falling on his skin. It was not a heavy rain like a sudden thunderstorm showing up, but still promising to become a real downpour.

"Oh great, I forgot my cloak back in the house!"

Trying to shield his face from the rain with his left arm, Dior pressed the wicker basket against himself with his right. He did not dare to go any closer to the river, it was a too great risk that the river banks had become muddy and slippery if someone tried to walk there. Dior had slipped into the river during a pourdown more than once in his old life, both as a child and grown up, so he did not exactly want it to happen again. Or falling into the cold water and almost drowning as he had done as a teenager during a really bad storm around Tol Galen, forcing Beren to jump in after him and both of them bedridden for weeks afterwards due to the resulting injuries from the strong current and loose parts of broken trees before they had managed to get back up on the riverbank.

"Even with the marriage bond between us, Nimloth would still need to rather people to help if something would happen….!"

Dior recalled a map over the village and its surroundings, guessing that he must be closer to a cave a bit away from the village. It would take too long time for him to find the small wood bridge to cross back over the river, not to mention the danger of the wood possibly being slippery as well. Better to seek cover from the rain until that it finished, and then returning home.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

On his part, Celegorm had also been surprised by the sudden rain and interrupted his hunt since it would be harder to get a good shoot when the rain blurred sight of any prey. Huan was happy to get into a dry spot of the cave to shook the rain out of his fur while his owner removed his wet tunic, hoping that it would dry while being close to the fire he just had started by using a cord drill, with his long experience it took only a few minutes before he had a fire going.

"At least I managed to spot the husband and wife twice around the cottage earlier today, and I saw the two boys running towards the village to play with the other children living there."

Celegorm had kept enough of a distance to not really see their faces when the married couple was outside though he had heard them talking though one of the open windows in a good spot form a tree branch a bit away from the home, it was very rude of a protector to end up spying on those he was meant to keep safe. It was that little detail called privacy, after all.

Then, he heard the sound of someone running towards the cave, no doubt some unlucky fellow who had been surprised by the rain and not able to find another shelter that was enough dry. Placing his hunting bow and arrows a bit further away from himself to show that he did not mean any possible harm, Celegorm listened as the other being came closer. Not completely soundless feet, but that could perhaps be blamed on the mud outside since it had not rained in this part of the Woods for two weeks before today.

"Better keep the fire going, the rain would make anyone almost soaked to the bone if they are outside for long…"

A shape showed up at the cave opening, deep gasps for breaths revealing that the person must have run towards here to avoid the rain. Yet the wet clothes and the dripping hair set into a rather large lace braid left hanging loose on the left side and covering almost the whole face, told Celegorm that it had been very much in vain. The wicker basket with fresh asparagus also revealed what the other person must been doing when the rain arrived.

However, with the basket set down on the cave floor and the person making a barely hearable unhappy wail over how wet the green tunic must feel against the skin of the upper body, or perhaps worrying that it would not be dry again from the offered space at the fire when the rain stopped since the tunic was made from wool.

Perhaps it had been a good idea to stay away from his hunting items which had been placed against the wall, for when the other Elf removed his wet hair from the right side of his face so he could see better than being half-blinded, a look of surprise at first when seeing Celegorm on the other side of the fire, followed by a dawning recognition. And the Fëanorian recognized Dior as well.

Only his instinct to move quickly, refined so well during many battles in Middle-Earth which ensured his survival until the Second Kinslaying, allowed Celegorm to avoid getting hit in the face by the wicker basket Dior threw towards him once the first shock was replaced by another emotion. As the basket hit the cave wall and fell down on the floor behind Celegorm, the son of Luthien and Beren drew a dagger from his belt, the kind which was used for a lot of purposes in daily life. Honest panic could see clearly visible in his right eye, most likely triggered by the memory of his death since that had been their first and only meeting in their old life.

Now, the cave was big enough to have plenty of space, and the fire ensured that neither one could hide in shadows, but the light could also act blinding to them both. Not wanting Dior to possibly misread his movements, Celegorm ducked away from his arrows, the half-Elven trying to hold him within eye sight, aiming not to kill but to cause some injury that would prevent Celegorm from following after him if he choose to escape out from the cave into the outside rain again. It turned out to be much easier said than done to get out of harm's way, when the shimming blade of the skillfully lead dagger mirrored the flickering light with every try to hit its aim. The dim halflight inside the cave from the fire made him rely on his senses more than on his own fighting skills but moving swift saved him once and again from possibly painful cuts.

Hiding behind a small ledge, panting for air because it was becoming pretty the cat and rat situation, the Fëanorian beheld the other, trying to foretell his next move. It was then that he noticed his opponent to be trying to cover his left way more eagerly than his right…

Had Dior slipped on the muddy ground outside and hit his left side of the face against a tree on the way to the cave? Celegorm knew that such accidents could cause difficulty seeing properly, especially if a concussion of the brain was involved. If so, had the memories of his death been mixed up with the present? Celegorm could remember that large shield Dior had carried on his left arm in their death duel, large enough to be almost the same height as the carrier while Dior had kept his sword in his right hand, and even wooden shields could prove to be heavy. Was there a reason behind it? Taking a serious risk of possible injury, Celegorm threw himself on Dior.

Years of fighting in playful duels with only daggers as weapons against other Elves or Maiar who followed Oromë, had taught Celegorm a few tricks in how to wrestle down someone else even with holding a dagger in one hand. Dior, showing all the signs of surprise as the Fëanorian grabbed hold of his left wrist and fought with all his might, fanatic panic showing itself in all his aura. As Dior tried to get free, Celegorm struggled to not cause any real injury on the skinner wrists he held to keep the dagger away from himself. Granted, he had not expected Dior to have all the strength the former King had used to battle and kill him, but there was something alarming by the sheer panic Dior showed now. No screaming or crying, only a wild struggle with the dagger actually aimed against his own left arm which was held up above his head, as if Dior desperately wanted his left arm to become free.

Finally, Celegorm did not want any more risks to be cut by the dagger, but forced Dior to release it out of that tight hold before he wrestled him down on the right side toward the cave's floor, Dior actually screaming in understandable terror as he became trapped below Celegorm.

" _ **NO! RELEASE ME!**_ "

The Fëanorian was much stronger than Dior currently due to Thingol not allowing his grandson to train with the guards at all since his rebirth, holding him down with both wrists in one hand and half-kneeling with one leg between Dior's own legs with the knee on one shin, preventing him from moving around.

" _ **LET ME GO, LET ME GO!**_ "

Dior was honestly crying in terror now, still struggling to get free. During his movements, the lace braid had moved somewhat, and the light from the fire behind them was reflected in his eyes. Expect that Celegorm's Elven sight spotted something strange, and he moved his free hand closer to Dior's face.

" _No...no, no please!_ " Dior pleaded desperately, trying to keep his eyes shut when he understood what Celegorm planned. But the braid was removed from his left face half, and carefully Celegorm opened the eyelid, only to be met with something which shocked him greatly;

The right eye was a stormy grey, similar to the eye colours of Luthien and Beren in Celegorm's memory of them, but the left eye were a milky white, the kind already present at birth. Dior had been _half-blind_ both in his short life back in the First Age, and even now in his new one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Strength of the river**

At first, Dior was basically paralyzed in shock and horror over that Celegorm had found out about his blind eye, the one weakness he always tried to hide from others outside his direct family, almost not moving a muscle and barely breathing before a now rather familiar feeling of humiliation arose to replace the other feelings in him. It was already bad enough with the endless belittlement which Thingol had given him, and that his former killer had seen this weakness, seemed to almost be too much. For a moment, the inherited Maia powers from Melian awoke in Dior, creating a air bubble which forced Celegorm off him, giving the half-Elven a chance to escape.

Huan, who had sensed the sudden conflict between them, had stayed out of the battle, well aware of that Celegorm could take care of himself. Of course, it worried the Hound to see the younger Elf escape out of the cave into the rain, but he could tell from the smell around the fleeing Elf that any kind of company was not welcome at all in that moment.

"Yes, Huan, I know that I messed up. _Badly_. Though it was not planned this time, he is one of my former victims and I have no plans for blaming him about freaking out when he saw who I was," Celegorm admitted from where he still laid on his back, not really harmed but trying to regain his breath after the force he had been hit by. Huan came over to him, whining as if trying to say something.

"I do not need any help. Rather, go after Dior and ensure that he gets back home to his family without anything happening to him. I will come after you once I can breathe normally, I am not going allow this to ruin my mission to protect him and his family, order from Oromë or not."

That order was Huan only happy to obey and the Hound vanished out in the rain as well. As he slowly sat up with a groan, Celegorm desperately hoped that he had not messed up things into possible very grand trouble again, it had been enough of that for him with the history of his actions against Luthien and Beren. He knew that Thingol had forbidden the House of Fëanor to even set a foot inside his realm in the south, and the people living in the Woods of Oromë had already heard about the mysterious disappearance of Dior and his family several weeks ago, it was hard to not know about such big news when the birds brought words of what happened across Valinor. He even had gotten the letter from Maedhros about Elrond's sudden visit and the diary which had revealed that things were not alright between Thingol and Dior. That Thingol even had lowed himself so far as to abuse his grandson with his own hands, was a sign of that something was terribly wrong in their relationship.

"I swear, that Oromë withheld their names for this mission, just to mess with me…!"

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Dior ran. Not looking where he was going, only reacting on the instinct that he had to get away from Celegorm, getting as much distance between them as possible. His dagger was forgotten back in the cave, and in his current distress there was no way he could bring himself to take it back.

In his mind, the memories of his death surfaced over and over again, overlapping with the voices of Luthien and Beren, long gone from this world, as they told his younger self to never get close to where Celegorm could be. His attempt to kidnap Luthien in front of Beren after that he and Curufin had been exiled from Nargothrond, had left a not very impressive memory for them. Of course, their somewhat negative view was not only coloured by that more or less literal attempt of a bride kidnapping, a fate which several women among the Edain had suffered when the Easterlings had taken control over Hithlum.

 _Do not ever allow him to see you, dear son, for he will make you a target for his humiliation and anger. He is well on the way to become a monster in Elven form, fair but cruel…_

The faces of his parents, so different in personality. Luthien, who always seemed reserved in her manners, only showing some more actual feelings whatever she thought that something bad would happen to him. Beren, more willing to accept that he was growing up into a adult but also sharing some of his wife's worries. Dior haven't exactly been sheltered from the cruelty of the world, but as the only child born to them, his parents had always feared to lose him to death in some way before their own time to enter the Halls of Mandos.

"Ah!"

His blind left eye had prevented him from seeing the tree root on the ground. Falling down into the mud face first, Dior tried hard to not start crying from the pain as he slowly rose up on all four, he had torn up both knees and palms on the stony ground. Yet that pain was nothing against the agony he felt in his groin area, the scar there felt as it had been reopened but no blood was felt on his skin or tunic, revealing that it was phantom pains he suffered once again.

A soft whine to his right. A large hunting Hound with grey fur, big enough to be ridden on, based on what Dior could see from the strong muscles. Taking hold of the soft fur when he was not attacked, Dior allowed the Hound to support him against his right side as they slowly began to walk, Dior not wanting any touching of his blind left side. He linked it with far too unpleasant memories of Thingol.

Somehow, Dior did not know how, they managed the way back to his current home. Nimloth must have worried herself sick over where he was and what may have delayed him to return home, by the speed she hurried out thought the front door at seeing them. The Hound gently backed away, so she could catch her husband in her arms as he fell forwards, the fading light from his only seeing eye telling Nimloth that Dior fainted in that very moment, both from fatigue, cold from the heavy rain and the panic-filled shock over seeing Celegorm face to face again.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

As the rain finally stopped, Celegorm remained inside the cave. In his mind, he went over the memory of that deadly duel again, trying to match this new knowledge with how Dior had moved. The large shield on the left arm, most likely a attempt to block attacks against his weak spot, the side which he could not see. The well-used leather armor over his body, clearly meant for moving quickly and soundless unlike what a steel armor would. And how his movements was planned to keep focus on his right side.

"Damn, I was too filled with blood-lust and the heat of battle back then to properly notice that something was off about his movements….he must have ordered those bodyguards to back him up more to the left, even with the shield as a good defense…." the Fëanorian muttered for himself, drinking up the last of the water in a water skin in lack of any alcohol he would have wanted in this situation. He had several other water skins on the outside, opened so the rain water could fill them. Even if it was not much, he could refill them later at the river.

Not that alcohol would have made things any better. Right now Celegorm wanted to keep a clean head, he could recall how numb he once had felt there in the beginning over Luthien choosing Beren over him, he had not been that much of a stranger to being rejected in Valinor before the Darkening but at that time, he had never sought any serious relationship. Unless one counted Aredhel of course, but both of their fathers had actually been in a agreement that a love story between them, as half-cousins sharing one common grandfather but a different grandmother, would be in the risk of not being viewed with kind eyes and tried hard to explain why it was better with a close friendship instead.

In the long run, both Fëanor and Fingolfin had been right about their relationship, Aredhel still had some ups and downs in the relationship with her Sinda-Avari husband Eöl but with a agreement to live apart now when they both were reborn alongside their son Maeglin so each one could be having the lifestyle both wanted, they was a lot happier than in the last few years before their deaths in Gondolin. And Maeglin was more than happy to live with his maternal grandparents in a separate part of their home, as long he did not have to meet with Turgon he could deal with meeting Idril and her family again a few times over the year but his second-oldest uncle was more or less literally forbidden to be around the sister-son he had orphaned by Eöl's execution. Grief over losing Aredhel to death may have played a part in how Turgon had acted against his law-brother but the rest of the House of Fingolfin had viewed it as Turgon crossing a dangerously thin line of what was acceptable to do and not to do.

"Aredhel flat out threw her poor son at me to hold him while she and her husband went to beat up Turgon together for his idioti when he arrived in the Halls…." Celegorm chuckled at the memory, though that moment of fun vanished pretty quickly again.

There had to be some way to make amends for the past. He did not doubt that Dior's view on him had to be colored by how he and Curufin had acted against his parents, and the fact that they had killed each other. Dealing with other people who had been refused in marriage could be tricky, that was something Celegorm's own parents had talked about, especially Fëanor who had been targeted by various unwed maidens at the royal court in his youth who wanted to marry him, mainly for being the handsome crown prince and he had used his apprenticeship at Mahtan as a legal reason to escape, often showing up at court with soot deliberately remaining on the work clothes and smelling as if he arrived straight from the forge, which often proved to be true, just to shock those silly noble maidens who was only used to see him dressed up in court robes.

But the memory of Dior actually crying for him, a honest regret over needing to kill despite them being enemies in that moment, had hinted to that Dior was not fully set in those views. Young and not the wisest of his family, indeed, but a promise of being able to change. And with how he had been treated by Thingol now after his rebirth, there was a possible chance that Dior would not be too keen on following the views of his past life.

When Huan arrived back, Celegorm thought that he had some basic plan to follow. For now he would lay low so they would not see him openly, acting as protector from the shadows. There was no need to cause a new panic attack for Dior twice with only a few days between. The half-Elven had already gotten a serious shock, and a triggering memory of his death, at seeing him today.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Because of what had happened in the cave, and the after-following reaction of massive distress, Dior was stuck with a minor fever for a few days which left him bedridden.

"What happened to Ada, Nana? Normally he does not get a such reaction merely from being out in the rain," Eluréd asked as she helped their father to drink some fresh water. Elurín nodded in agreement to what his twin just had said.

"He saw something in the rain which shocked him greatly. Now, please be kind and go ahead out to the river with the laundry baskets, the two of you will help me with washing today since your Ada is unable to," she responded in a determined voice that did not allow contradictions. Behind her back from where he could see of them with his right eye, Dior nodded weakly in agreement to what his wife said, silently pleading to his sons to do as they were told. He had no energy to listen to protests or other high noises for now.

On the other side of the river, Celegorm saw Nimloth and her boys come out from the cottage, each one carrying a basket with laundry that would no doubt be washed in the river as the main task to be done today. He was not that surprised that Dior was nowhere to be seen, he would probably react the same if it had been a similar situation for himself.

"I wonder if I should be able to leave the wicker basket with asparagus at the front door when they are not looking, or maybe just at the side of the cottage since I would be more hidden in shadow then…"

He had chosen to refill the amount Dior had forgotten to bring home in his panic, and even adding a little extra as a secret apology for scaring Dior in that way. Though they may not be able to read messengers like that, it was more of a secret language between hunters and other people who lived very much outdoors.

As the sun passed a bit on the sun, Celegorm was very tempered to dose off for a little bit since Nimloth kept her sons busy with learning the various steps of washing clothes in the river, given the nice shade in the tree he was sitting in for better view of the area around the cottage.

" _NANAETH!_ "

" _ **Elurín!**_ "

Suddenly, there was two loud screams through the air which awoke him with a alarm, cursing over falling asleep as he hurried to keep himself steady on the tree branch he had been sitting on. One of the twins had fallen into the river, possibly by stepping too close where the current was in the middle, and being pulled along by refusing to let go of some cloth he held on to. Nimloth had already began to swim after her son, leaving the other around the remaining laundry.

Although there had only been the river Sirion to swim in back when she had lived in Doriath, Nimloth was a Teleri Elf on the paternal side of her family tree and a skilled swimmer as a result since she had tried to swim whatever she had a read challenger. She had always outmatched her husband whatever they had a swimming contest in the early years of their marriage, something Dior had never complained about outside the few times he had tried to cheat to win over her for a change.

"Trust something to happen just the day when Dior can not help keeping an eye on them…!" she thought for herself, calling for Elurín to try and hold his head above the surface despite the difficulty to do so with the current pulling him down. Then, she saw a new movement further ahead, someone who actually tried to swim against the current, which no swimmer with common sense would do due to the higher risk of being pulled below the surface, risking the air support so they could breathe. With all the water running up and down in front of her, it was hard to see who it might be, but the stranger managed to grab hold of Elurín right before they both were pulled down.

Celegorm knew that he took a huge risk of being seen by Nimloth when he had jumped into the river to try and stay at a spot where Elurín would pass. But it was a risk he was willing to take, there was no way he would just stand by and see a small Elfling risking to drown or be injured, it had happened dangerously close once when the Ambarussa was roughly the same age as Dior's sons right now and the whole family had freaked out about it.

Pushing himself up on the river bank with Elurín held tightly against himself and letting go of the coughing boy once they both were up in the grass, Celegorm hoped that he would be able to run away from the scene before Nimloth managed to come closer.

"What are _**YOU**_ doing here!?" Nimloth called out when she finally got a better look on seeing who that had saved her son, her worry quickly being replaced with fury over seeing the killer of her husband so close to one of her children. Pushing herself up on the river bank with impressing speed as her instinct told her to protect her child, she made a good impression of a furious Uinen in her wet clothes and hair hanging free around her body. Or perhaps even Nerdanel the few times a harmless family prank aimed on her had gone so horribly wrong to awaken paternal fury against her ever growing brood of sons.

As he already had let go of the boy, Celegorm knew that the best action right now would be to simply run away as fast as he could, rather doubtful that Nimloth would want to listen to any attempted explanations since he knew that furious facial expression to not be a good thing. Only to suddenly be hit in the back of his head with a washing paddle, the hit being strong enough to make him fall unconscious down to the ground almost immediately.

The one to knock Celegorm out, was no one else than Dior. Shortly after that his wife and sons had gone to fix the laundry, he had spotted that Nimloth had forgotten the washing paddle back inside their home. And the screams from Nimloth and Elurín a few minutes ago naturally had alarmed him as well, causing him to hurry outside despite that he was still having a fever.

"Good hit there, honey. And no, you did not kill him this time, though he is gonna have a bad headache for the rest of the day when he wakes up," Nimloth commented after checking on Celegorm if he still was alive after that powerful hit, she knew that Dior had been very traumatized over killing the Fëanorian the first time back in Doriath despite that they had been enemies, given the difference of killing a fellow Elf rather than killing small game animals in hunting or orcs in defense. Dior could only nod weakly, both his hands were badly trembling, especially where he still held the washing paddle in the right hand for a better aim.

"What should we do with him? Did he plan to hurt Ada again?" Eluréd asked after having run over to where his family had gathered, taking the washing paddle from his father who still was trembling from the shock, only to use it to poke slightly on Celegorm's still body to see if he could get a reaction from him.

"Former enemy or not, it is not nice to let him lay out here in the open after a such hit your Ada gave him. Rín, you follow your Ada back to the cottage and both of you remain in bed for the rest of the day, after that you changes out of those clothes and take a warm wash in the bathroom to try and ensure that you are not getting stuck with a cold after this unexpected bath. Let me handle this brute," Nimloth ordered while loosening the belt of soft fabric around her waist.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

When Celegorm slowly woke up, feeling that headache Nimloth had said that he would have, it took a few minutes before he realized that he now was indoors, laying on a bed in a unfamiliar room, and that his hands was tied together with a long piece of soft fabric that was tied to one of the bedposts at the headend. It was not tight enough to cut off blood circulation to his hands, but still good enough to keep him busy for a while if he tried to get free without the help of something sharp to cut though the fabric. Based on the colour, it was the same belt as he weakly recalled Nimloth wearing with her dress before he was knocked out.

"Trying to keep me from doing anything that could be misread as potential attacks, huh?" he thought for himself, slightly changing position on the blankets so he laid a little more comfortable. Not that Celegorm was that surprised by a such action, he did not exactly have a reputation as a peaceful person, directly. And with a husband who already had been deeply traumatized by abuse from his own grandfather, and two young sons to think of, it was only natural that Nimloth had not wanted to take any risks.

Thankfully the small window was at least open to let in air and some light from the sun, so he did not have to worry about being locked inside a basement or similar chamber without any windows. That would have reminded too much of the Halls, and Celegorm had always been more of a outdoor person.

" _...he should have woken up now..._ "

"... _just very quickly, your fever just went down and I do not want you to become ill again…_ "

Voices on the other side of the closed door, a male and female. A key being turned around in the lock. Just in case, Celegorm hurried to change position again into one where he laid on his side, almost on his stomach in a attempt to appear as harmless as he could, he had never mastered the art of looking helpless but perhaps without any weapons it would be better with simply remaining still.

It was Dior who entered the room. Dressed in a plain, fully covering robe of grey cotton fabric and his hair set up in a simple ponytail over his shoulder that made the hair closest to his blind eye cover that side of his face again, there was nothing could have reminded of his time as King of Doriath. No, this was a more vulnerable side of him, what revealed just how young he actually was for a Elf despite that by mortal standards, he should have entered his middle age now when he had passed forty years since birth as his time in the Halls of Mandos had not allowed him to age.

Neither one of the two said anything at first, only looked at each other. Then Huan totted inside past Dior in the door, and promptly laid his large head over Celegorm's legs.

"Do not even think of climbing up here, Huan, I do not think the bed is made to carry your weight beside me," Celegorm warned in clear Sindarin so Dior would understand what he said, speaking Quenya would be rude in this situation. Huan just made a big yawn as if saying "What ever" before he laid down on the floor beside his owner.

Dior still seemed unwilling to be around Celegorm alone even with the Noldo Elf tied up, so he quickly closed the door again. Not that Celegorm would have protested, only a idiot would have tried to make friends with someone they killed in a way too fast manner.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note: A washing paddle is a hand tool used to do laundry. It is made of wood, shaped like a baker's shovel, but with a much shorter handle used as a grip. In older times it was used to beat the wet clothes and linens, pushing out the dirt by hammering the items against the washboard, or against the flat slabs built into the laundry area.


	6. Chapter 6

**Slow, small steps**

If he had to voice the minor chaos inside himself, so was Dior not really sure about how he felt about having Celegorm in the same house, not with only a locked door and a few walls between. But he was not raised to throw a injured person out of the house without a good excuse. And if Celegorm had gotten a concussion, forcing him to leave would not be nice.

"Not again...this chaos which I have felt over the years whatever I thinks of him…!"

In fact, Nimloth had to calm him down with some tender kisses and close hugging in bed before he managed to fall asleep that night. But it did not help much when he, in one of those rare times when he trashed around under the quilt, ended up not feeling much rested despite sleeping. Finally, waking up sometime after midnight, Dior left the bed he shared with Nimloth.

Celegorm heard the door open slowly again, and the similar footsteps he had heard earlier. Huan opened one eye but did not raise his head or bark, since the Hound did not sense anything harmful from the half-Elven. Pretending to still be asleep, a act mastered over the long years by having a lot of younger brothers who wanted to play very early in the morning, he heard Dior walk closer to the bed. Then, a uncertain touch with a finger across his cheek.

"Guess that he wants a closer look now when I am in no position to fight back…"

Perhaps some people would see it as childish, but Celegorm did not find it any strange that Dior wanted to touch him. What had Beren and Luthien told their son about him, actually? As a rejected suitor of Luthien? A prince who had became mad because of a Oath he had not really understood when it was sworn? A feral being?

On the other hand, for someone who had grown up among the Sindar, seeing a Noldo without the distinguish black hair must be something different. And Dior showed that he was somewhat used to touch people very lightly in sleep, barely any pressure at all as he followed Celegorm's facial features, even used up some of the stray curls from the eyes. Then he suddenly sat down on the edge of the bed, followed by a deep sigh which spoke of indescribable feelings.

" _I never wanted to be King._ "

Those six words, barely heard from Dior, almost caused Celegorm to reveal himself as awake in surprise, but he managed to stop any such movements though his self-control.

" _If my grandfather thinks of me as a possible rival to his crown, a alternative choice to his rule, he is getting it all wrong. For me, Kingship...means a gilded cage. A life without the freedom I need to live, being restrained by social status is something I can stand in the longer run. It is not without reason that I have been likened to a bird trying to escape a cage. We killing each other...was the only way out from my chains of Kingship, unless I had died from something else eventually. You got a indirect revenge on my parents, while I was freed from a role I never wanted._ "

Celegorm tried his best to remain still as Dior spoke. He had a feeling that the half-Elven needed this rant, to speak out about things he must have been forced to remain silent about unless he risked to be viewed as ungrateful against his family. Even if Dior said nothing, his aura spoke of great bitterness over how basically everything in his life was either linked to his parents or grandparents. In a way, he basically had served little else than as a connection between one famed generation to another, with his only daughter being more famous than her older twin brothers who once had been best known for dying young.

Huan whined from his place, getting up on all four paws and placed his head on Dior's lap. Patting the Hound, Dior once again showed just how young he actually was in Elven years. Grown up in the pattern of Men, yes, but the other side of his lineage could still be hinted.

Without a word Dior left the room again. Yet Celegorm knew that he had gotten even more to think about. This was more about escaping from Thingol if there was abuse Dior face from his grandfather, there had to be something which triggered it to start.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

The next morning, after checking so no damage had been left on his head or the wrists, Celegorm made a point of sneaking out from the cottage before the family had woken up. He did not, however, intend to reveal what Dior had whispered to him in the belief that the Fëanorian had been asleep, living with several siblings had taught him that some secrets was best kept silent about.

With Nimloth waking up first as usual in the family, she was first alarmed by that Celegorm had managed to escape but quickly calmed down at seeing that neither her husband or sons had been harmed. After her rebirth she had often been called unnecessary paranoid at Thingol's court, which in turn had made her snapping back in anger about the horrible fear of losing her own family to the unknown Path of Men forever.

"Nimloth?" Dior asked in a half-awake voice as he came out from their bedroom, dragging a thinner blanket around him for warmth.

"Celegorm is gone, and I hope that he does stay away from the cottage until that he gets _**a actual invitation**_ from us next time," she responded, touching his right face half as she spoke, well aware of that he could recoil if touched on the left, another sad result of how Thingol had treated him. For whatever reason, Dior felt a strange sadness at hearing that Celegorm was gone. He had hoped that they might be able to talk, face to face, without killing or harm each other this time, despite the high chance of it ending up very awkward.

"I...will help the boys train with their toy bows and arrows today. Help them hold the right way and such important details."

~X~X~X~X~X~X

It was that scene Celegorm saw when the morning had turned to forenoon. Dior had set up a easy target of a stuffed sack of hay with a painted-on red circle as center of where to aim. Dressed in a white jacket and long wide trousers in a greyish-green colour, Dior even had set up his hair in a rare high ponytail to ensure that he would not have his seeing eye blocked by the hair.

"Not so hard, try and relax in the shoulder a little bit."

Dior may be young, but he clearly knew what he was talking about when it came to archery, possibly thanks to having been trained by a Marchwarden from Doriath since Beren had been unable use a bow with only one hand, for both of the former princes managed a reasonable good first hit.

"Good hit there, both of you."

"Ada, why are you not trying with a bow of your own? Nana says that you used to be a good hunter back when in Beleriand we was really small!" one of them commented.

Dior smiled sadly before answering:

"I need to train up my body again before I tries something like that again. Your great-grandfather did not allow me to train with the guards after we was reborn, he insisted on that there was no need for the son of his daughter to use weapons anymore. And I do not want to damage my muscles or tendons by mistake."

"Stupid Thingol!"

"Yeah, really dumb! For it was not he who managed to slay one of the Fëanorians in battle!"

Unaware of it, both Dior and Celegorm, who hid up in a tree to watch the whole scene, made a strained smile at that comment, how innocently it was meant. Though based on the honest laugher she made as she hugged Dior from behind, Nimloth found it amusing over her sons pointing that detail out.

"You have a good point there, boys. Just do not say it out aloud where Celegorm could hear it. It is rude to remain people of the manner in how they died. Now, you have some clothes to fold and set up in your shared room."

"Yes, Nana. We will soon be back for more training, Ada!"

As their parents wanted them to have some actual skills than being dependent on servants for such tasks, Eluréd and Elurín was raised to do simple tasks that was not too difficult or too heavy for them. Helping with the dried laundry was one of those tasks.

Once their sons was away on a safe distance, Nimloth used a gentle hand to male Dior face her slightly so his seeing eye was on her. Catching his mouth in a deep kiss, she then slowly began to move across his face and neck down to the shoulders.

"W...wait! No out here! Someone might see…!" Dior protested, but his voice along with the flushed face betrayed that his mind and body was not really coworking in that moment. Nimloth, at least, seemed familiar with that state.

"Just a few kisses and strokes, honey. I know that you can be hesitant to start those kind of moods yourself for various reasons," she responded with a arm slowly finding its way below the cotton jacket Dior was wearing. Based on the reaction he made, a rather loud gasp as he threw his head upwards a bit, her hand was stroking his nipples. Dior attempted to find a better balance by setting his feet a bit further apart so neither one of them would fall over by mistake, pressing himself against Nimloth for support. Despite the problems they currently had in the bedroom, he could still react on her touches.

"Pl...please...more…!" he whispered, throwing his head back against her shoulder as he tried to show how he enjoyed it. They were nearly the same height, which helped in a such position.

"With pleasure."

Nimloth would never call Dior the passive partner between them, he simply did not have the same sex drive as mortals or the same need for passion as young Elves might have during the first years after marrying and preferred a more tender love-making of touching and cuddling over more action in bed. Slowly sliding down so he was kneeling in front of her, Dior did his best to return the favor to her. And he knew the exact spot, there was nothing wrong with his tongue or mouth.

"Nana! Ada! We are done with the laundry!"

Of course, the fun had to be cut short by the arrival of their sons, but they shared a agreed look of trying for some more later that evening instead. The sheer fact that Dior had not recoiled and actually tried to response as he had done before, was a good sign.

Celegorm had gotten a bit surprised over seeing what Nimloth and Dior did, but since he was used to see people coupling in the open from before, he was not exactly that much shocked. Their actions was perhaps even a bit tame by the standards of what would happen in the annual great hunts, but some couples simply was not for the more wild side of love-making. And when children could happen to watch, it could become rather embarrassing for the parents to explain what they was doing.

"But he is good at sexually arousing people, with that face as his wife touched him…."

In a way, Celegorm understood why Dior would not want to be seen by others when he enjoyed that part of marriage with Nimloth. Those who was viewed as especially attractive could have some issues with unwanted attention, something Maedhros had been forced to deal with in their youth before both Fëanor and Nerdanel openly threatened to literally geld the next person who borthered their eldest son in that manner, with the bluntest items they could find among the toys they used in their respective work. Without anything to numb the pain. Celegorm and his brothers had also been quick to agree on that threat, they knew that Maedhros would have been able to deal with it himself but sometimes a threat was better made in numbers, and they had used the growing size of their family to do so.

And with Dior being attractive in a very rare manner thanks to his mixed bloodline of Men, Elves and Maia, it was easy to imagine that he would have suffered some similar attention he did not like. It could explain why Nimloth was pretty fierce whatever it came to her younger husband, if she had seen others make unwanted or even rude attention aimed against him.

"Better take it carefully then with however this turns out, I have already traumatized him enough in the past," Celegorm thought before jumping down on the ground from the tree. He had gotten a slight reaction on the unplanned show Dior and Nimloth had given him, but he knew how to pleasure himself without a partner in such situations.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Later that afternoon after a rather heated weapon training against Nimloth to try and build up some of his old strength again, Dior was washing off himself in a smaller pool beside the river. The villages helped to ensure that there was no risk of leeches or similar unpleasant things in the water, so he could bath with ease.

"Had I not known your identity already, I would have thought you a water Maia taken form," someone suddenly said behind him. Dior froze at realizing whose voice it was, and spun around to face the Noldo, holding his body below the surface in a attempt to down out the feeling of vulnerability without any weapons close to grab, and his inherited Maia powers was difficult to control since he rarely had used them in his first life. But Celegorm had whistled on Huan, who went down in the water and acted like a furry barrier between them at seeing that Dior seemed to be the kind of person who did not like getting naked in front of strangers. Well, everyone was different, some people was not cowards but simply shy of nature. As Celegorm lowered himself into the pool as well, his theory was proven right when Dior looked away to the left so his right eye was not seeing anything, avoiding to see the Fëanorian in only his birthday suit.

"Your family have caused pretty the trouble by vanishing from the south, shall you know. Your grandfather is causing a commotion about it and demands that the moment you four are found, you are to be brought back to his realm."

Judging from the look of pure dread on Dior's face, he seemed to have expected that to happen.

" **We had a** _ **legal**_ **reason to leave which he can not claim to be a mere excuse! My family have every right to live our own lives in peace rather than being in the gilded cage that is his court!** " Dior snapped in a surprising aggressive tone, before his face turned red at remembering who he talked to. Celegorm, who recalled the letter from Maedhros about the most likely reason to why the family of four had run away, said nothing. It was very possible that Dior held a lot of inner anger and resentment aimed against Thingol for the abuse below the fear that hopefully had thinned out once he was far away from his grandfather, and needed to let out some of that stream out.

"From what I have heard from the birds and their gossip, your daughter is making a scene about it as well. It seems like she openly accused my family for your disappearance on the open streets of Tirion before my uncle Finarfin pointed out that my family are not allowed anywhere near Thingol's realm and that neither of us have the right reasons for a possible kidnapping. Not to mention that none of us wish to revisit the Halls of Mandos again for a commited crime. The Oath and Kinslayings was bad enough."

Dior muttered something in anger without looking up, though Celegorm could hear some of the words:

"...too bloody used to being a Queen from early childhood….too much pride like him…hard to bond with her brothers after the mess with the Silmaril and my grandsons being raised by Maglor..."

It seemed that Elwing was not on the best of terms with her reborn parents and brothers for a couple of unexpected reasons, apparently. Well, Celegorm could not say anything about it since he only had met Elwing twice and found her a bit too unnerving similar to her famed grandmother in terms of behavior. The similarity had not helped by Elwing's piercing grey eyes and black curls, even if she was rather small in stature, almost doll-like in contrast to Luthien's height she had inherited from Thingol.

"On the other hand, my family have been ready for that something of that kind of accustion may happen, so they are already giving him some counterattacks about it. And your grandson was also quick to point out that neither Curufin or myself can be blamed for this."

Dior was not sure what to say, so he only nodded. He tried to not blush when seeing the strong muscles Celegorm had, or when the Noldo pushed his silver hair over a shoulder. Although the smell of wet dog came from Huan, Dior could still smell the deep scent of forest from Celegorm, a scent which brought up remembrance of his life before the Kingship of Doriath for Dior. Even Nimloth had began to caught up a similar scent here in the Woods of Oromë, which had made her touches and cuddling more desirable for him.

However, Celegorm was not blind to the blush Dior spotted, or the nervous movements he made under the surface as if he tried to control a troublesome reaction on seeing the Fëanorian without clothes. A part of him hoped that Luthien could see it somewhere in the afterlife which the Path of Men led to, and feel a bit of horror over that her own son possibly was drawn to her rejected suitor.

"You would not be the first to be drawn to both genders, you know. It is more common than you think, many of Oromë's followers have both female and male partners. And your mother was not the first fair lady to catch my attention in the past."

From the way Dior startled and backed closer to the stone steps up to the grass ground to get some distance between them, he had aimed right in the guess. Was that the reason behind Thingol's abuse of him? That Dior actually was bisexual, and perhaps had wanted to test out things with a fellow male since he basically had done his dynastic duty though marrying Nimloth and having three children with her already back in the First Age? Based on how Thingol had tried to get rid of Beren when he found out about Luthien having a mortal suitor by requesting a Silmaril as bride prince for her hand in marriage, that theory did not seem completely impossible.

"T-that is not any of your business!"

Dior attempted to hurry up from the pool before things went out of control for him, but he slipped on one stone step and landed hard with one knee on the upper one. While avoiding to scream out loudly, he did not manage to hide the sudden pain on his face. And what felt worse, Celegorm managed to catch him before he fell under the surface.

"L-let go of me!" Dior hissed, trying to get free as he was pressed to Celegorm's chest. The memories of what had happened earlier at their two meetings in Doriath and the cave, or the knowledge about what once had happened between his mother and the Fëanorian, did not help him at all to trust Celegorm. The half-Elven knew that rape was not something which happened between Elves, but the fact that Celegorm had tried to force Luthien into marriage, was as close to rape as it could be for their kin. And as her son, Dior had always been scared of forceful sexual situations.

"Calm down, that wound on your knee needs to be cleaned out and bandaged before you try to do anything else. Once when he visited my brothers and I was there too, Elrond talked about the possibility due to the mortal blood in your veins, you half-Elves are more susceptible to infections which normally would not be a issue for Elves," Celegorm explained, guessing correctly that Dior was very much bothered by the fact that they both was naked. Despite Dior thrashing around and swearing in what had to be his father Beren's native language Taliska, Celegorm simply grabbed a spare tunic he had planned to dress into later and tied it as a kind of kilt around Dior's waist, before he swept him up with one strong arm under Dior's legs and carried him up to the ground.

To his credit, this time Dior managed to avoid getting struck by panic as he was placed surprising gently on the ground in a sitting position, but from the way his whole body was tensing up, it was obvious about how uncomfortable he found the situation despite that his own nakedness was now covered. But Celegorm made a clear point of not even looking in that direction, as he mixed together a salve with dried medicinal herbs and some water from the pool, which he then added on the wound after cleaning it. Dior hissed at the understandable sting, but kept his blind eye set against Celegorm since he had no wish of seeing someone else naked. It was one thing with Nimloth as part of their marriage, but way different with someone else, be they a male or female Elf.

The moment Celegorm was finished with the bandage, Dior hurried up on his feet and went over to the bushes where he had hung up his clothes. Once he had covered up himself fully, he held back the tunic in his left hand to ensure that he would not stare at the still undressed Celegorm in a impolite manner.

"If you can, send a message to Maedhros that he is allowed to guide Elrond to our hiding place, I am almost out of a eye drop medicine my grandson gave me to treat my eyes this passing winter and neither Nimloth or myself are sure on how to create that medicine ourselves. Some things are better left to the expects."

Celegorm raised a eyebrow, not over the unexpected request but rather the reason behind it. Did Dior suffer from dry eyes, perhaps? He did not seem to blink very much on the blind left eye, though, or at least not in the same amount as his right, seeing one.

"That reminds me….you forgot this in the cave. Be more careful, a good dagger is hard to lose and there is not many blacksmiths outside the few villages here in the Woods."

Dior blushed very hard again at feeling Celegorm take back he tunic and replace it with a very familiar dagger in his hand.

"A _very much belated_ gift from Tuor between the fathers of a married couple since Elwing did not have her direct family present at her wedding when both the groom and bride was twenty-two years old….and people claims that I was a unusually young bridegroom at at getting married to Nimloth when I was five years older!" he managed to explain without stuttering, yet not without the blush fading away, then went off like a deer being chased on a hunt.

Celegorm did not protest about Dior running away, the half-Elven had been uncomfortable enough around him already.

"Well, Huan, we have a older brother and more or less adopted nephew to get here as Dior requested. Should make Elrond stop worrying about his maternal family and if they might be injured without a healer to help, at least."

Pulling the tunic on him, Celegorm began to get dressed while Huan got up from the pool and shook off the water, giving his protesting owner a minor shower.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note: Dior is meant to be wearing a Elvish version of an uwagi, which is a kimono-like jacket worn in Japan. It is most familiar as the top half of a martial arts uniform. And the trousers he is wearing is based on the Hakama, another Japanese style of clothing.

Taliska was the language of the Bëorian and Hadorian Houses of the First Age. Both of these houses spoke different dialects while the House of Haleth spoke the unrelated tongue known as Haladin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ways of healing**

Although he was greatly embarrassed over what had happened at the pool, and the fact that he could not get the memory of the naked Celegorm out of his mind, Dior made a point of explaining to Nimloth what exactly had happened there. He hated to lie for her, especially when it came to any possible injury he could get, and she agreed that it was a situation hard to avoid.

"Besides, if he helps to ensure that Elrond arrive here, it lessens the risk of a letter form us landing in the wrong hands. No servant of Thingol is allowed to find us before you are ready."

Both of them hoped that Maedhros and Elrond would arrive soon, for the bottle with eye drop medicine was soon empty despite that Dior only needed to add two to three drops into his left eye everyday.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

In Formenos, Maedhros did not expect a letter from Celegorm outside the minor information of that he had promised to not get involved into anything that could be misread as him being behind the disappearance of Dior and his family.

However, at seeing what this letter was about, he did not hesitate.

"Elrond? Elrond, I have some good news and a one less pleasant one; Celegorm have written that Dior and his family have sought sanctuary in the Woods of Oromë. Nothing big have happen to them, but it seems that Dior is in need of a medicine for his eyes."

Elrond, who had came running from the library the moment Maedhros called, took a look himself over the letter.

"I know which medicine my grandfather needs. I was actually worried about that he would run out of it while being in hiding. Another case of that the healers originally from Doriath have very little knowledge about Men and why they are so different from the Eldar. Elros would get so frustrated over that if he was here right now," Elrond said with remembrance over how his twin had worried about his mortal healers which he had brought along to Númenor, if their skills was enough on their own or if he needed to call over some Elven healers to train them. The Elven healers at the end of the First Age had not been too bad when dealing with mortals, or those who lived though and survived the Second Age, but once the Third Age had gone on, less contract had been between the two Races outside Imladris and Mirkwood.

"Get ready for travel early tomorrow. Your grandfather may need that medicine soon."

"What about the orphanage? Can you just leave the staff and children like that without warning?" Elrond wondered, stopping in the middle of starting to mix together the ingredients for the eye drop medicine Dior would have.

"Do you really think that I am the only boss over there, because I was the one to starting that place? No, the whole family is involved into it, even Celegorm despite how rarely he is home on visits in Formenos, one way or another just to have something important to focus on in everyday life. The staff can just run around to get my parents or brothers if there is a problem when I am away," Maedhros responded before leaving. Elrond rolled his eyes for a moment, one day he would really tell the oldest Fëanorian exactly which habits Elros had picked up from him in childhood and kept for the rest of his mortal life. Perhaps it had been the best that Celegorm, Caranthir and Curufin had been killed in the Second Kinslaying, or Eru knew how Elros might have turned out as King with those three as foster uncles! Amrod and Amras had proven themselves a lesser worry about a such idea than the three middle brothers.

Elrond then recalled something else; even if Dior and their sons was counted among the Elven kin now, Nimloth had mentioned a small worry that his mortal blood would cause some trouble again, by a new pregnancy neither one had planned. In fact, they had not expected Elwing to be born only three years after her brothers, since they originally had planned to try for a third child once Eluréd and Elurín was past the age of five or six, the age when they had died. And knowing too well from the Third Kinslaying that his mother could be horribly obsessed over something as her main fatal flaw, Elrond doubted that Elwing would react well on her parents having a fourth child, especially if it was a little sister. One of Elwing's worst fears was to be replaced by the people in her life, something she already had been as a parent by Maglor in the eyes of her own sons and Elros had partly chosen the Gift of Men to spite the mother he had never truly forgiven for abandoning him and Elrond over a magical gemstone. Elrond, as well, refused to forget that horrible feeling that had dawned in him when it became clear that neither Elwing or Eärendil would come back for them.

"I better add in that herbal tea which act as a natural contraceptives for them both if they drink it daily, in what I need to bring to them. My grandparents would have enough to deal with grandfather's needed recovery from the abuse he got from Thingol, and a new pregnancy would only add more stress for them both when he needs a peaceful time."

~X~X~X~X~X~X

With their sons away to play with their friends in the village, Nimloth and Dior helped out to sew and mend some of his clothes, when he suddenly laid down the needle and tunic in his lap.

"Beloved...do you...have you...ever found me clingy at some point? Or that I seem too dependent on you for emotional support? Due to the huge age difference between us?"

Holding in a few curse words as she stabbed herself in a finger of shock over his words, Nimloth turned on her head to look at him.

"Dior, _**when**_ did you start thinking like that?! I would have been more worried for you if you had married one of the silly court ladies in Doriath, since I can truly imagine you become unhappy in the long run with a bride who is used to comfort and not the hard life you grew up with! I doubt that even the wedding night would have gone well, with either her running out of the bedchamber in terror at the first proper look of a adult male without clothing or yourself ending up looking like a fool due to your bride running off!"

Dior blushed slightly in memory of their wedding night, even with having been given the Talk when entering adolescence and watching animals mate, he had been very unsure about what to do, though they had figured out how to consummate after some cuddling together close in bed. Nimloth did not notice that blush on his face, since she was still going on in a rant:

"...and not to mention that several of those silly maidens was greatly confused by how fast you grew from a child into a adult, ready to marry and father children before you even had seen thirty springs of life! I recall that at least one of them had the nerve to ask if it really was natural! And then teasing me about that I was about to marry a overgrown child!"

Dior said nothing, only listened as she babbled on, understanding that she did not aim anything on him. He had heard similar comments about their age difference after rebirth, many doubting that their marriage could count as a real one since he basically would not even be a adolescent in Elven growth.

"One of the times my mortal blood turned out to be useful, huh?" he finally smiled in a attempt to joke. And was rewarded with a kiss, as well the weight of his wife above him that landed them both on the bed he had been sitting on, her hands on each side of his head to not having their faces crash painfully. While Nimloth did not exactly saddle his hips, she still kept their most intimate parts very close together, the only hinder being his trousers and her dress.

"Dior, you proved yourself to be mature in _**both body and mind**_ as you grew up back in the First Age. Yes, there was times you did not exactly act wise, and when you proved yourself to be a bit naive about how things would go, the Second Kinslaying being a brutal price for it, but I would marry you again even if I would know what happened! _Because you are the kind of husband I always longed to have as I grew up, even if I at times doubted that I ever would marry because of my taste in a husband!_ "

Kissing him again, Nimloth kept going until that they had to break the kiss to breathe. Both of them heavy blushing, Dior dared to lift his head and use his teeth to loosen the string Nimloth had tied the front of her dress with, held up with the string around her neck. Perhaps as a teasing, it was actually one of his favorites to see her wearing, a lovely mint green created for practical use even if it was not a dress she wore outdoors often since its colour would catch attention.

"Be still, if you can, I want to slowly undress you and give you pleasure at the same time," Dior requested in a low voice, kissing first her mouth before moving over to her breasts. He was perhaps only able to see with one eye, but her body was familiar enough for him to know where to stimulate her best. For example, in that Nimloth loved to have his tongue lick and suck small circles around her nipples.

"Oh, you want to play around a bit today?" she grinned, a glimpse in her black eyes promising a nice reward for that he tried to be brave today. She could smell from the soap on his body that he must have shaved this morning, for he still had some stray body hairs growing even after rebirth and removed them by shaving with a sharp razor which had been a gift from Elrond when Dior had admitted some problems with his hair growth, rather than suffering the pain of using tweezers for the hair removal.

Standing up on her knees for a few moments, Nimloth shaked her body slightly so the dress slided down over her hips, revealing that she only had a pair of underpants on her. Then, she bent back down and started to kiss from his neck down to his shoulders. She knew better than placing a hand on the left side of his face, Dior still linked a such touch too much with how Thingol had treated him before and it would only ruin the mood if he was triggered to remember the pain of being hit with a fist there. But he accepted a gentle kiss on the closed eyelid after that she brushed his hair aside, somewhat uncomfortable with keeping both eyes open when they made love like this.

As far as Nimloth could remember, Dior had almost always kept his blind eye either closed or covered by his hair. He hesitated extremely even at the mere thought of cutting his bangs short, since that would expose his milky white eyes for everyone to see and he hated to use a eye patch or anything similar that would draw attention to his face while covering his eyes.

"Nimloth….please!" Dior gasped at her kissing his ear tip. In terms of body shape, Dior had the board shoulders of a Man, though he had inherited the skim body of a Elf from Luthien's side of the family. Climbing up in bed so he had some more space, they faced each other while laying on a side. Then, Nimloth removed his trousers slowly. Already knowing how insecure he felt about openly showing the scar just above his groin left behind by the dagger Celegorm had killed him with, she used her smaller silk scarf to cover it so neither one would see it and Dior relaxed more than earlier, even drawing a small breath of relief.

"Let's see how well we can enjoy each other, huh?" she teased, kissing him further down, her long hair flowing over his skin and making him shudder. She was not too shocked over that he had some trouble getting hard properly even as she helped out with mouth and hands on his manhood, it was one of the things caused by his poor self confidence as Thingol kept belittle him. But it had slowly started to turn around, and the noises he made was so very pleasant for her ears.

Dior could both feel and hear how hard his heart was beating against his ribs. It was in moments like this that he treasured Nimloth more than anything else, how much she was willing to accept that he had some flaws and that she tried to help him whatever he needed it. He moaned loudly, shivering as she finished his nibbles, slowly down his groin without even touching where her scarf was, kissing the tip of his manhood before licking it. Then she took it all in her mouth, a movement that made him gasp of pleasure as she sucked and used her tongue inside her mouth to touch. Closing his eyes in a attempt to keep himself under control, Dior thrusted into her mouth, his hands gripping on the bed sheets. But before he could come, she removed her mouth.

"You want to worship me, are you not, my dear forest prince?" she asked in a tempering voice, removing her underwear with one hand so she was all naked like the way she had been born. Dior's eyes, already dark with desire, was focused on one point as Nimloth laid down on the bed, but not facing him. The moment she was in a good side position, Dior almost attacked her most sacred place with the desperation of someone finding cold water to think in the worst heat of summer, when it was so hot that people risked to faint if they did not stay in the shade and drink a lot. And there was few other things Dior enjoyed more than worshipping her by pleasuring her in this manner, he wanted to show just how of a treasure she was in his life.

In return, Nimloth rewarded him in the manner she knew that he enjoyed, he preferred this way over being the dominant partner in bed, for he feared to possibly harm her by mistake if his pleasure or any other massive feeling triggered his Maia powers to become active. It had happened once when he still was toddler on visit in Doriath, and one unlucky servant had been knocked unconscious after being slammed into a column by the force from his temper tantrum, leaving Dior very horrified over what he had done.

It did not take long before Dior's skilled tongue brought Nimloth to climax, and since he generally wanted her to enjoy that pleasure first, she waited a little before bringing him over the edge as well. As Dior gasped for breath, his face reddish from the heavy blushing and the way his seeing eye was still shining with desire for her, Nimloth could feel her heart melt at the erotic sight.

" _And he is my husband…_ "

Since Nimloth was well aware of that Dior could be drawn to people of his own gender as well, she had only drawn a line about that he would not do it behind her back. If he so wanted, she was willing to keep him look for someone who might catch his attention. However, he had admitted one worrying problem about his taste in males a few days ago….

"Nimloth...should we...tell Celegorm about why we escaped from my grandfather's court? The actual reason for it, I mean…" Dior asked nervously as they cuddled up close to each other. Rather than being shocked or even surprised by the question, however, Nimloth knew that he must have tried to ask it earlier but not found enough courage to actually form the words.

"We can not exactly postpone it forever, I bet that Elrond is going to want to know how it all started because you sometimes worries about your hearing in your left ear from how often you were hit there or around your eye, right? As healer he should have dealt with something similar among mortals in Middle-Earth."

Dior whined slightly at the reminder, pulling up a hand to his left ear by instinct. He had been lucky to not ending up with a bad case of hearing impairment, but being blind on his left eye had not allowed him to see when to avoid the incoming pain as Thingol had hit him. The worst had been when Dior actually had been held fast by his jaw, unable to move his head.

"Yes...sometimes I have harder to hear on a longer distance…though I hope that it will heal naturally, I hate to burden Elrond with so much of our medicinal needs simply because he is the one healer here in Valinor who have the best experience when it comes to us with mixed blood…." Dior admitted, feeling ashamed at the thought. Moving closer, Nimloth kissed him again so he would have anything else to think of.

"Rather your own grandson than some untrained idiot, since Elrond is someone who actually can give you a helpful treatment."

That was something hard to disagree with.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Celegorm had stayed away from the cottage for a few days after the meeting at the pool with Dior. Today, however, he planned to return there as there was no way he could eat that whole deer by himself, even if he shared its meat with Huan. Wasting anything of a prey animal was seen as a disrespect to Oromë when living here in the Woods.

"A family of four should have better need for this amount of meat, especially with two growing boys," he thought in memory of how much Amrod and Amras could eat together, often trying to match the appetite of their elder brothers. Well, it was not so strange actually, with their various chosen work professions that often involved heavy work and needing to use lots of energy, it was no big surprise that his family ended up with big meals enough to feed them all at the meal times.

After bringing the deer body to the butcher in the village with an request to give the meat to either Nimloth or Dior the next time when they were bound to arrive there for buying food and other necessary items for a family with children, Celegorm actually saw the wife in question a bit further away on the main street. To be precise, Nimloth was standing outside the tailor shop, thanking the village tailor for some service while holding a package wrapped into some older fabrice that was used to protect the contents inside.

"Ah!"

Neither one knew what to do first, Nimloth was still a bit wary of Celegorm due to the past, and he had heard from several Fëanorian soldiers in the Halls that she had managed to kill five of them despite their full steel armour in front of the nursery in Menegroth with only a a minor sword, using the furniture inside to shield herself from the attacks at first before she had been cut down. Clearly she had been trained from childhood to use some weapons to both attack and defend, unlike Luthien.

"Since you already is aware of that we ran away, Dior wishes to explain why we did it...but he is not always comfortable talking with people alone, his social skills was not exactly the best due to events with his grandfather before we ran away…" Nimloth finally spoke, somewhat awkwardly. Celegorm nodded, offering her to lead the way back to her home.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Dior was somewhat caught off guard at seeing Celegorm arrive with Nimloth. Despite already dressed in his everyday clothes, he threw on a longer robe in a attempt to hide his body, being seen naked once by Celegorm had not been what he wanted to repeat again too soon. The board shoulders was impossible to do anything about, but at least the robe fell straight down to the ground and it was wided from below the arms so it was not forming around his body. One of the best gifts Nimloth had given him since their rebirth.

"Dior, I brought some mint leaves for the tea you likes to drink. Do you want some now?" Nimloth called just as he finished checking on his lace braid in a small mirror so it really did hide his blind eye from view. He really was not in the mood of hearing the voice of Thingol in his memories calling him indecent again.

"Yes, the kettle is already filled with water I added earlier. I am coming."

Though to be fair, Dior did spot a faint blush when he came out in the largest room that served as a joined dining area and living room. Without saying a word of greeting in fear of messing up, he sat down at the table to face Celegorm, while Nimloth quickly face two large cups of steaming hot mint-smelling tea in front of them as she took a smaller cup and sat down as well. Before the Fëanorian even opened his mouth, she responded with a answer he had not planned to wonder about:

"Neither one of us likes any alcohol stronger than cider. For me it is that awful bitter taste, while Dior actually get sick from it. We was actually called boring by others whatever there was something of a drinking party going on at the Sinda court, just because we did not want to take part of it."

Rather than protest at the mention of those awful drinking parties he had disliked so much, Dior used the moment to take one big sip of his tea, just to try and keep himself together. There was just no way he could hide how nervous he was.

"It all started with a more controlled version of those drinking parties, just us two and some old friends of Nimloth with their own respective husbands. After some nice cider to drink and some of those finger sandwiches to eat, someone got the idea of trying out a small challenge with poetry, writing it down and then read it out aloud so the others could hear. The theme was to the glory of the Sun and Moon, or more precise Arien and Tilion, if we wanted to try out the two Maiar as inspiration. Since we all was amateurs in one way or another, we thought it to be nothing else than a innocent game to have some fun….."

Dior got quiet, swallowing hard as if he tried to push down a unpleasant memory, his hands tightening around the tea cup as he tried to not start trembling. Nimloth hurried to explain when it became clear that he could not bring himself to say more.

"Turned out that one of Thingol's senior advisers overheard just as it was Dior's turn. Whatever it was the unusual way Dior had formed the words, or the fact that he was brave enough to stand up and move his body around as he spoke like a actor on a stage, we do not know. But the following day, Dior was called up to Thingol's private office...alone."

She did not need to say more. Celegorm could guess what it must have looked like for someone who held strictly on that the only proper relationship that could be related to romance was between a male and female.

"So Thingol misread it as a hidden desire to love Tilion as a lover?" he asked in a neutral way, though he was not surprised. The Maia who guided the Moon had been a popular lover among the rest of Oromë's followers back in his youth before the Darkening, and Celegorm himself had enjoyed a few rough love-makings with Tilion.

If anything, Dior became red enough in his face that Nimloth almost worried that he would pass out from the blood pressure.

" _The title of_ _ **Silver Prince**_ … _.was meant to symbolic_ _ **you.**_ _It….was meant to honor the prince you once were, before the Oath ruined so much in your life and family..._ "

There it was said. The closest thing to a possible love confession Dior managed to get out. Thankfully, Celegorm had the better sense to not start laughing over the irony of Luthien rejecting him as a suitor, only for her own son to end up feel the opposite. Dior would most likely not take a such reaction well.

Instead, Celegorm raised his tea cup to empty it, using the position to carefully check up Dior on the other side of the table with his eyes. If one ignored the stunning looks he had gotten as part of his unique lineage, he was still good-looking that he would have no trouble to catch the attention of someone he might like. Besides, there was no way the half-Elven would be a total virgin, being married and the father of three children, him being married meant that he already would have some experience even if he did not sought it out too much and Celegorm was easy bored by bedding those who never had sex before and was kept naive by their parents before the wedding night, needing to teaching them things they should already know from a basic talk when entering adolescence and that kind of bedding always ended up in the same manner, with him not enjoying it at all.

Offering a hand, which he held up the palm as a sign of not meaning any harm, Celegorm asked:

"I am charmed to hear that, and I fully understand that it can not have been easy to hide feelings for your own gender in a rigid court that is awfully narrow minded. Depending on how ready you may feel to try it out, Dior... _would you like a taste of how it is with a male lover?_ If your wife is in the bed as well, for emotional support if you are too afraid to be alone with me?"

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author note: Given the difference in how pregnancy works different for Elves and Men in Tolkien's world, I think the half-Elves would be somewhere in the middle, possibly needing to be more careful when it comes to their fertility since I honestly think that Elwing may have been a unplanned pregnancy. By looking on when she and her brothers are born, Eluréd and Elurín in the year 500 and Elwing in year 503 in the First Age, they are born only three years apart and that seems to be very close in birth date by Elven standards in my view. And with with all three of Dior, Elwing and Elrond having twins as their first offspring, I think their mortal inheritage may play a part in that

I also headcanon that due to their mortal blood, half-Elves may need the use of contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancies, since the humanish part of them may act as a contrast to the Elven side of their inheritage, with humans being able to father and bear far more children than Elves. With three children already, Dior and Nimloth may not want a fourth child and most likely asked Elrond for some outside help to prevent anything to happen


	8. Chapter 8

**What will change**

Both Dior and Nimloth looked pretty shocked at how blunt Celegorm had asked that question. On the other hand, him being so direct about it, did not allow any second thoughts to start. Though Dior could only barely nod, he did not trust himself to say anything.

"Fair warning, the next couple of questions are gonna be somewhat embarrassing, but Oromë is very strict about how people are to act when bedding each others here in the Woods. For example, _**consent**_ is the main rule, never do anything the other one dislike or against that person's will. That is viewed as sexual harassment and I have seen people getting punished for breaking that rule. No deaths, but the result are not pretty. There have even been a few cases where a person even was exiled from the Woods and almost literally kicked over to the Gardens of Lorien to force them to stop that behavior. Námo and Irmo have been pretty imaginative together to create...certain punishments."

Celegorm had never dared to ask what had happened to Sauron after his final defeat in the Third Age, for example, though he could imagine that Aulë was not exactly pleased with the actions of his former servant.

"Try to not freak out now, please, but…have you ever tried to bed someone else than Nimloth before? Any minor adventure of the romantic kind when you were younger?"

Dior shook on his head without meeting Celegorm's eyes, a telling sign of that he must have been raised to be faithful to his future wife, kept under watchful eyes as he grew up. Not that it was a necessary bad thing, monogamy being the norm among Elves no matter where they came from and Celegorm himself was willing to stay faithful to a spouse if he ever married because right now bedding others was mostly a thing to pass time for him, but in Dior's case it seemed to have limited his changes to explore his true sexuality.

After som awkward silence, Dior just barely managed to answer another question that no, his everyday contact with other males had actually been very limited. First by how isolated his childhood home at Tol Galen had been, only a few married servants to help his parents and very rare visits to Doriath, a teacher from the Matchwardens who had trained him in how to use weapons, a few male Elves who originally had been friends of Nimloth, and then being all suddenly surrounded by male Elves in Doriath when he had inherited the Kingship at Thingol's death.

"It was when in my first weeks as King, that I realized the difference in my feelings. The male friends of Nimloth...I thought that it was simply the same friendship as she had to them, only less grounded because I was much younger than themselves. But being around them all the time….I started to feel uncertain about my body, if it really was shaped the way it was meant because of the Mannish blood in my veins...from my mortal father…"

Who would not get a massive shock at suddenly feeling like a duck among the swans? Still, Celegorm appraised that Dior had the tact of not directly mentioning his parents, he must have realized that they still was something of a sore point for the Noldo, even after all this time. Not wasting time, Celegorm asked:

"Is there any positions in bed you like more than others? Is there a special way or manner that turns you on? Knowing someone's preferred ways in bed can be useful for later."

"...riding and more rarely side….I...am afraid of hurting Nimloth if I am too rough…." Dior finally admitted, blushing hardly. From that answer alone, Celegorm could guess that he was the more rare type who simply did not enjoy being dominant. Well, being the passive partner in bed did not always have to be bad.

"You enjoys simply cuddling and close body contact more, honey. And I love to see how you enjoy me using my mouth for more than just kissing. Much more pleasant than trying to do it like everyone expects us to do," Nimloth said, kissing him on the cheek. Celegorm did not comment on it, instead he asked a few more questions about what Dior and Nimloth saw as an absolute no-no to do in bed, since he wanted to avoid something that Dior disliked or could trigger a bad memory. The Fëanorian was not surprised when the half-Elven refused a lot of the various things he asked about, not out of ignorance of what it meant bur rather before he simply did not like the idea of trying them out. Everyone had different tastes, after all.

"I think a good first step would be to try ensuring that you both are more used to be around me, or it is bound to not work when one partner is still scared of the other."

The married couple understood at once that he must be meaning the events from the Second Kinslaying. Dior swallowed nervously at the memories, but tried to push them down.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Of course, they did not expect it to go all smoothly. Like when Eluréd and Elurín noticed the Fëanorian being around the house a lot more than before. While still too young to properly be able to fight, they knew that Celegorm had been the one to kill their father in the First Age and, as a result, did their best to stand between Dior and Celegorm even if they were only armed with a set of small wooden toys. If there was one thing the boys shared with their mother, it was the worry of that someone would harm Dior again, especially after the ugly history with Thingol.

"I can really imagine that Maedhros would have been delighted to raise those two if he had been able to do it. Though he may have worried a bit about whatever they would be mortal and die eventually since he would not have known about that choice for the half-Elves back then," Celegorm commented to Dior in a surprising calm voice while holding the boys away from his body, one hand on each twin's forehead after a attempted sneak attack on him from each side. This was only one of many times that having Amrod and Amras as the youngest brothers, proved to have been useful training for the older Fëanorians when it came to handling twins. Granted, Maglor would have the most experience thanks to his foster sons, but Maedhros would be a close second by being the teacher in war training for Elrond and Elros.

"Boys, please leave Celegorm alone, he have promised to not do anything to me, unless he wants a taste of what your mother is able of doing with only a few items to throw at someone. Námo said that forgiveness is part of the remaining healing I need to get over the trauma from the fall of Doriath and trying to look past him as a Kinslayer is also a part of it," Dior pleaded, choosing not to mention the little detail of Celegorm being a rejected suitor of Luthien as his sons did not need to know that information yet. He was not exactly lying, Nimloth had a very good aim when it came to throwing things and Celegorm had no wish to taste what some of his subordinate soldiers had died of. Not that she would really kill him, of course, but for being a normal She-elf without any Maia inheritage like her kinswoman Luthien, Celegorm wondered how history of the First Age may have turned differently, if Nimloth had been the Princess of Doriath instead.

"Well, I can tell that Luthien most likely would not have been allowed back to Doriath if my great-grandfather Elmo had been the King of Doriath instead of Thingol. He never really forgave her and Beren for being the cause of lord Finrod dying, because Finrod is a grandson to their middle brother Olwë and thus close kin, and he would have been needed as a go-between in the tension that led to the Fall of Doriath, to try and find a solution that both parts would have been happy with. I know that Elmo would have sent the Silmaril over to your family at once with a messenger rather than keeping it," Nimloth responded since Celegorm had asked that question a bit loud.

Dior, on the other hand, did not say anything. He knew that the only reason to why he even had been born in the first place, was thanks to Luthien giving up her immortality and living a mortal life with Beren. Had she been denied that by the Valar and Eru the All-Father, he would not even exist.

"Ada, you are being gloomy again!"

Thankfully, the boys was very good at sensing his emotional state and could draw attention to it. Perhaps it was a gift from the Valar, a attempt to not have his sons feel like they had no special ability because they had died so young. Perhaps one day, when they were grown up adults, they could find their own way in life, a manner to use that ability to sense what others felt.

During one of the days, Celegorm went over to the village to ask for a couple of things normally not shown among the goods that were available for purchase in the small shops. Mainly because it was called specialist items.

"Items...to help me relax?" Dior wondered when Celegorm returned to show what he had brought.

"Yes. For example, this kind of incense sticks have the smell of lavender and chamomile when being burned. The same with those essential oils, which I think Nimloth may a bit more familiar with from her pre-married life. Given that you likely is going to still be scared and tense up, like many beginners in bedding your own gender, so you may need some extra help to remain calm….Dior? Did I say something you are afraid of?"

The former king was trying hard to not start crying.

"...no, but I am sad over that...my mother never seemed to care for your efforts like this….I once met lady Finduilas and her father Orodreth in the Halls...and they told me of how you struggled to please her while being in Nargothrond, since she had not exactly run away with anything useful outside the clothes and that invisibility cloak she was wearing…even before that idea of marrying her…during my childhood, whatever I would ask about who you were, she would always go on in her rants about you being a brute, someone who would steal away a innocent lady rather than accept a refusal, unhealthily possessive of things you felt entitled to..."

Celegorm made a mental facepalm, again wondering just how sheltered Luthien had been from the dangerous world outside Doriath. Her shocked face at seeing him and Curufin actually attack the couple, had revealed enough of that she was not used to deal with a rejected suitor who did not just accept that it was over and leave her alone afterwards. Perhaps fearing the wrath of her father, her former suitors had not dared to protest against her refusal of the courtship, and so his own actions had become a big reveal of that the Noldor was not anything she already was familiar with.

"Before becoming mortal, Luthien had that effect on almost every male she met. Whatever it was part of her inherited Maia powers from Melian, or just a side-effect of being so beautiful, I do not know. But the blame for the marriage idea lays all on Curufin. Since l seemed to be so besotted with her, he thought that if she became my bride, Doriath would no have any easy-to-create excuse to not give the Noldor needed help against Morgoth, especially if they wanted their Princess safe even after marrying and leaving her childhood home. While I have been rejected before, even by ladies who did not have another possible husband at the time, the idea of her choosing a short-lived mortal over me...it did hurt far more than what I can say. Perhaps the Oath twisted it a bit because of the anger and humiliation afterwards, along with that I can hold a grudge pretty long….and the sight of them together after that we was exiled from Nargothrond, it made me snap."

Dior listened, tried to ignore the small voice in his mind that sounded so much like his mother whatever she had talked about Celegorm. She had never got a chance, or perhaps not even bothered, to see the Fëanorian in the role of the royal prince he once had been before the Oath and Maedhros giving up the claim of his House to the Noldor Kingship. In her mind, Celegorm was forever remembered as a villain, someone to stand between her and Beren on their road to happiness. No doubt that she had meant well in trying to warn her only child about the danger Celegorm had became, having somewhat right when they ended up killing each other, but now Dior attempted to see a different image.

"It is in moments like this that I really questions my parents' actions. Yes, the Quest is a great story about love, but less so when you look at the bigger image and see what chaos they created in Beleriand…."

Seeing Dior in a state of such unhappiness, Celegorm made a mental note to have Celebrimbor show up and visit at some point. His nephew and the younger half-Elven surely would keep themselves up all night just by talking about the trouble with famous relatives and how being related to such people made life difficult.

When Eluréd and Elurín told their parents about a invitation to a sleepover at one friend in the village, Dior and Nimloth did agree right that it would be a good timing of testing Celegorm's offer of that Dior would get a taste of being with a male lover.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

As that evening came, Celegorm gave Nimloth the very important task of trying to get Dior in the right mood.

"As his wife, you are bound to know the secret to him in bed, while this is the first I try something with him. And given the state of his self confidence after how Thingol acted against him, I do not dare to be alone with Dior in case he gets panic or the memory of us deaths comes up in the middle of stuff," he explained to her, on the way to borrow the bathroom to clean off his body before anything else. From the way Nimloth was dressed below her morning gown, it seemed like she had a similar plan already She only nodded before hurrying into the master bedroom.

Although he doubted that it would come to that moment this night, Celegorm still made sure to fill up himself with oil out of habit. It was impossible to know when one thing could lead to another because of being caught up in the moment and he held no wish of doing the various mistakes many beginners in sex would do. Mainly to ensure that Dior would not become terrified and back out since he likely was not that used to see a fellow adult male in only the birthday suit since there was a big difference to the view of his twin sons, he also covered up himself in a loincloth of fabric before a long red robe he only used when he wanted do a striptease for a bed partner and took a extra vial with oil with him.

Inside the master bedroom, Nimloth had placed Dior in her lap so she had almost all his upper body between her spread legs, but also so he could rest his head against her. From the way both blushed, and the slightly swollen lips, they had been kissing pretty fiery before Celegorm came in. From the way Dior only had his own morning gown slightly open over his chest to allow Nimloth to caress him there yet kept his lower body still covered under the quilt, it could be that he still was somewhat scared.

"Good position you found there, allows both a familiar touch and yet a small distance if it becomes too much," Celegorm said while seating himself on the edge of the bed. He made a point of not rushing, if this was to be a nice experience for Dior it had to move along slowly. Instead, Celegorm made a show of removing his earrings one by one from each ear, before moving over to his hair which he loosened from the high ponytail he had fastened it into earlier.

From the way Dior blushed, yet tried to not look away this time, it seemed to have the desired effect, at least somewhat. Taking his time, Celegorm removed the robe halfway, leaving it still bound around his waist for a few minutes before it slided off him completely, leaving him in only the loincloth. Then, taking Dior's hand and actually kissing it with his head bowed before looking up slightly, Celegorm said in his most seductive voice which few people had managed to resist:

"With your permission, _your Majesty_."

He had actually chosen the manner of addressing normally only used when speaking to the High Kings of the Elves, other members of the royal families was to be addressed with your Highness as a sign of lesser rank below the Kings. By addressing Dior as if he still had been the King of Doriath, Celegorm revealed far greater respect for the much younger half-Elven than what Thingol ever had been given by the House of Fëanor, especially after the events with the Quest for the Silmaril.

Blushing, Dior had to look away for a moment, but the glance back at Celegorm told him that it actually seemed welcome. Not releasing the hand, the Fëanorian started to place butterfly-light kisses on his palm after turning it upwards and then the lower arm. By doing so, he had to carefully push the sleeve up a bit. From the way Dior shuddered, he must be slightly affected since this was the first time he did anything like it with someone else than Nimloth, who rested her head on his shoulder to keep him calm. Crawling closer, Celegorm then began to kiss Dior on where he had bared the chest from earlier.

"You are beginning to look like you need a layer removed before you gets too heated up in the wrong way, Dior."

"P...please…"

Using his teeth, Celegorm opened the belt and Nimloth removed the morning gown from her husband's shoulders, kissing his neck as a reward for being brave enough for that step. Again, Dior showed the physical beauty he had inherited from his mother, but it was more manly by Elven standards, even with that he still had not really built up his former body strength yet and a few things that betrayed his Mannish lineage as well, like the stronger jaw normally not seen on male Elves.

Bending over to come closer, Celegorm gave Dior a very light kiss on the lips. Even by just blushing deeply from it, the half-Elven showed far more emotions than what Luthien ever had done.

"Do not feel any pressure over having to respond right away, just tell if it does not feel alright. Remember, this is all about you and your pleasure."

Dior took a deep breath, shivering somewhat since Celegorm also had removed the quilt now. The room was warm even with a open window since it was early summer now, a mosquito net set over the window to prevent uninvited insects coming inside, but the sudden air against his bare skin on the legs and feet made him gasp.

"May I?"

Slowly, gently kissing the skin as he did so, Celegorm removed the rest of the morning gown but had it remain below Dior because he might want to cover himself up for warmth afterwards. Dior had covered himself with a short kilt after washing his body that evening, since he was not really fond of sleeping naked unless after making love to Nimloth where it often ended with both falling asleep before gathering the energy to redress themselves.

"Dior, are this enough of what you can stand for tonight, or you want to keep going?"

A nod as answer. But as Celegorm began to tie up the kilt, Dior suddenly recalled the scar he was so ashamed of and grabbed hold of Celegorm's hand with both his own to stop the undressing, silently pleading with his seeing eye. That Nimloth had seen the scar was unavoidable when they made love, and of course Elrond when their grandson had checked them over after the rebirth for a general health-check, though he had managed to hide it from everyone else. But Celegorm…

The scar was a reminder of how he had killed Dior, and he did not want it to be seen. That's when Nimloth had enough of it, she did understood her husband's insecurity when that scar was involved, not out of vanity or injury to his pride, but he could not keep hiding it forever. Taking hold of Dior's hands with her own, she lifted them away despite his protests.

"Celegorm is the one to have caused that, honey, he should be aware of various injuries on others from before."

Dior was still not sure of that he wanted the scar to be seen, and attempted to move over to his side so Celegorm would not be able to open his kilt. But Celegorm kept him in place by moving in between his legs, gently holding one hand on each thigh.

"Do not kick my ribs, please, it can ruin the mood a bit even if it happens by mistake."

Again using his teeth, Celegorm removed the kilt. Dior's manhood were reasonable average size, though it was the longer length that secretly delighted Celegorm as he was not fond of those who was almost too thick in girth as that was bound to increase the risk of pain for the receiving partner, something he had suffered himself as a youth before he had gotten used to it. One of the great things about Oromë and his Valar was that they were not afraid of using their shapeshifting powers if their bed partners were in discomfort, and often adjusted their forms to who they was bedding.

Nimloth had secretly told Celegorm about Dior's earlier problems to perform in bed, especially over the last one and a half year, as the indirect result of how he was treated by Thingol. She had worried that he would be insulted if Dior did not react as Celegorm might expect, but Celegorm had told her not to worry. He had suffered some minor problems himself after his own rebirth, caused by how empty he had felt in both body and soul once the the power of the Oath had been removed from him. Besides, blaming Dior for the problems when Thingol actually was the reason behind it, was just stupid.

As for the scar, Celegorm made a point of ignoring it as he first kissed Dior lightly. Dior shivered in his whole body under the alternative movements of hot breath and touch.

"Exactly my type, shall you know."

Then he took Dior deeply in his mouth, sucking in a manner he would use when a bed partner had some issues getting hard. It clearly was effective, because Dior tensed up and threw his head back with a groan of pleasure, pressing himself against his wife. No doubt that he and Nimloth had trained each others well, or why he preferred it over other positions, given how the half-Elven thrusted hard into Celegorm's mouth. Or maybe it was the the whole experience with a new, different person.

"Ce...please...more!" Dior gasped, unable to form words under the touch of Nimloth's hands over his upper body and Celegorm pleasuring him downwards, both his eyes wide and his seeing right one dark with lust. The erotic view of his loose hair, along with the blushing face, made Dior overshadow Luthien's beauty for a moment in Celegorm's mind, simply because he showed his feelings so openly.

Stopping pleasuring Dior for a moment as he needed to breathe, Celegorm got a idea and removed his loincloth with one hand where he still laid between Dior's legs.

"Celegorm?" Dior wondered in a faint voice of confusion, slightly lightheaded from the feelings of pleasure. The Fëanorian only hummed, moving to straddle the hips of the half-Elven.

" _Celegorm_!" Dior almost shouts in Sindarin because of quickly-growing worry, before gasping loudly as Celegorm slided down on his still hard manhood in one smooth movement. He was no stranger to have Nimloth riding him, but this felt so different, he let out a hoarse groan as he kept thrusting against the tight heat that embraced him, Celegorm encouraging him with some gentle movements of his hips. Dior lost the Sinda tongue soon enough, his cries devolving into wordless pleas even as he also lost the last of his fear for Celegorm's actions. Lowering her head a little bit, Nimloth claimed the mouth of her husband who now was on the verge of tears in the eyes because of the intense feelings in his body, though she was not above giving Celegorm a warning hit with a heel against the Fëanorian's leg as a silent hint to not burn out Dior too fast. As Dior tore himself free from Nimloth to breathe after that locked kiss, the reveal showed itself:

Around Dior's eyes, strange spiral-like markings in a faint glowing green colour began to show themselves, along on his lower face, arms and chest. It was a marks of a Maia. Yet Celegorm understood why Nimloth had tried to make him slow down, those markings, a sign of his Maia inheritage from Melian, must be extremely rare to see on Dior as he normally simply looked like a Elf unusually blessed with beauty.

Dior screamed as he finally was unable to control himself anymore, coming hard into Celegorm who kept himself still for a few moment, before carefully sliding down from Dior's body down on the sheets. But as he gasped hard for breath, opening his right eye to see since he had closed both eyes during the orgasm had taken over him, Dior realized that something was not quite right, Celegorm was still hard.

"Y-you….?"

"I can pleasure myself if needed, no worry. I can last for a little more...eh?"

Perhaps in a moment of unexpectedly boldness, Dior gently freed himself from where Nimloth had hold him close for his comfort. His arms and legs was still somewhat shaking from the powerful orgasm, but he managed to avoid collapsing down. Realizing what the half-Elven might try to do, Celegorm arranged himself in a easy position that would not be uncomfortable for either one.

"Try only the tip at first, by licking with your tongue. Taking it all deeply the first time is a invitation for feeling like you are about to gag."

Again Dior showed himself to have trained with Nimloth by using his tongue and mouth, only that he clearly was more used to the secret place of a female than his own gender. But Celegorm saw it as a good start, and very positive that Dior actually had wished to try on his own rather than by a suggestion. He was not yet ready for the second step, learning how to be taken as a receiving partner, but there was a good chance of that it could happen soon.

Even if Dior only tried for a very short time before he felt overwhelmed by the taste, Celegorm did not blame him. Blowjobs could be difficult before learning the right manner of doing it. Besides, Dior was unused to having another lover in bed than Nimloth, so it really was not that strange.

"I think that is enough for you today, stop it," Celegorm requested, using his hand to gently push Dior away from his manhood. As he had said, he knew how to pleasure himself so he brought himself to climax.

Feeling himself exhausted in a manner he rarely had felt, Dior simply laid down on the bed, his right eye cloudy with mixed feelings as he looked ready to fall asleep right there and now. That alone seemed also erotic, for those who had seen him only a few minutes ago. Nimloth, who seemed just as flushed as her husband, made a point of braiding up Dior's hair again as it had been loose.

"I would gladly have gotten some action as well, but I simply do not enjoy this kind of fun when my red flower is on the visit for the next six weeks. And last time Dior enjoyed me just before that female time...he knocked me up with Elwing since we had run out of the herbal tea I used as contraceptive, we found that out right after that we realized the date in my female cycle and almost like a slap in the face for us both for being that reckless during the dangerous time with a higher risk for pregnancy, we felt Elwing being conceived…."

Well, Celegorm knew that at least one of him and his six brothers had been begotten from a similar event when Nerdanel and Fëanor had been a little too passionate to each others, so he could not be rude about that reval. Though in Dior's and Nimloth's case, it was possible that his human blood been the one to blame, given that mortals could have new children almost every year if they had no problems related to their fertility.

"That can not have been fun, given that you already had the twins to care for."

"Both our sets of parents was overjoyed over that the family was growing, but we felt that it was too early with a new child...and it made me feel like I was little less than a breeding stud for the royal line because we did not know how long I would live…" Dior mumbled halfway into sleep from where he now had his head in Nimloth's lap.

For some reason, Celegorm got the feeling of that there was something more they did not tell him. Then again, that was rather private information few people may know about, so he would not nag about it. Besides, the trust between them all three was still very new as they still walked on thin ice in this new relationship, one big mistake could ruin it. If it was to grow stronger, they all needed to be careful with both words and action.

"I will borrow the bathroom for some quick wash-of and then the guest chamber up in the attic if you needs me for some reason," Celegorm said while dressing himself in the red robe again, nodding his head before leaving the master bedroom. What had happened this evening was enough for now, no need to rush forwards.


	9. Chapter 9

**Inner anger and bitterness**

Author's note: Before reading the chapter, I just want to explain a minor detail that could be misunderstood; Celegorm is not really someone who enjoys masochism, he just have a habit of being aroused by things that reminds of the thrill of a hunt

~X~X~X~X~X~X

The following day, Celegorm had to ge to a meeting with some other Elves and Maiar which Oromë had tasked with being protectors of those who sought sanctuary in the Woods. Mainly it was to put together a report to the Vala, and also to let him know if there was any troubles which he may need to solve.

"So, Tyelkormo, how is it going with guarding your family?"

Most of them knew him best by his Quenya names since he had only learned the Sindarin tongue in Middle-Earth, though Celegorm preferred them to use his mother-name for everyday tasks, as his father-name was more used for formal events back home with his parents and brothers.

"Rather well. Something of a rough start, but I am partly to blame for that, I was a bit careless and spooked the husband badly, which both the wife and two children was very unhappy about. Should perhaps have needed to do a few more protection duties in the past before the Oath, or when I had gone through that formal ceremony to atone for my actions as a Kinslayer."

Some of the others nodded in agreement over that he should have needed some more training in how to be a protector, even snickering as Celegorm told them of how he had been knocked out by the washing paddle. But they did not laugh to humiliate him, they just found it funny in that not even his battle-trained reflexes had saved him in a such situation.

"That reminds me...it is pretty chaotic in the south right now. Elu Thingol have promised a considerable reward to anyone who can find his missing grandson and his family, and bring him back to him, or at least can give fresh information about them. People who have claimed to see them somewhere and turned out to be lying simpy to get the money...was given a very different payment, you can say."

Celegorm got a bit nervous about those news. A big reward to capture a missing person would loosen lips and make people more watchful. As Caranthir had explained to him once, being promised a huge amount of money could lead to dishonest actions, that was something Caranthir had been taught and warned about by the Dwarves from the Dwarven city of Belegost he had been trading with in the First Age. Caranthir himself had never suffered from a dishonorable deal from the Dwarves but he had been deeply hurt by the betrayal from Ulfang and his people.

"We was ordered by our Master to spread that information around to the villages, if someone indeed would try to look for Thingol's missing relatives here in the Woods. The Sinda King does not have much area left to look around for them in Valinor, lesser for each day that passes. It is already two months since they vanished from his court and soon entering the third month."

Calling a small message bird to his hand, Celegorm gave it a small letter to carry in its tiny claws. Dior and Nimloth needed to know that they had to be on their guard until that he returned.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Even as he tried to hurry back to the cottage as soon as the meeting was over, Celegorm was alarmed when Huan set up in even higher speed than normally, changing into a bigger size as he did so. The Hound only changed size when it was needed.

"Run ahead, Huan! I will come after you!" he called, already nocking an arrow on his bow to be ready to shoot if needed.

It was the sounds of screams, mixed with shouting and fighting, that first was heard as he rode closer. Then the unavoidable sound of someone throwing a heavy item on the head of someone else. And some of the finest swear words he had ever heard someone from Doriath use.

At the cottage, Huan had laid himself flat over two unfamiliar Elves, one who was knocked out cold while the other one was swearing angry over the Hound's noticeable weight. Nimloth was holding another clay pot in one hand, ready to throw it, breathing heavy as if she already done so several times. Dior, on the other hand, had slided down along the house wall behind his wife, trembling violently from shock and fear visible in his right eye. Eluréd and Elurín had taken cover inside the cottage, carefully looking out though the open window if they needed to hide again.

"Your message arrived just before those two showed up, claiming to be merchants who trade with the Woods. They tried to grab hold of the boys and then Dior when he came running to free them…" she explained.

Celegorm narrowed his eyes. Walking over to where one of the strangers had dropped a bag, he opened it. As he had worried about, there was three wanting posters found inside with some basic information about them, one of each parent and the twins sharing a image. On the wanting posters, the exact amount of the reward money also written there.

"As I am not familiar with the payment system in Thingol's realm...Nimloth, can you try and count out this? I do not think Dior is in the best shape to try anything like that at the moment."

Sending her sons to bring out a blanket and a cup of steaming hot tea if Dior indeed was about to go into shock, Nimloth took a closer look at the written down amounts. As Dior tried to avoid spilling out the tea because of how his hands was still trembling, she hissed in a low voice;

"He is offering _**triple**_ the cost of the annual salary of an ordinary palace guard for all four of us to be brought back by force?! No, the offered sum for Dior is slightly higher, I guess that he really want his "black sheep" in the family back to use as target for his disappointment…"

No one was surprised by the small crash heard as Dior dropped the tea cup to the ground, breaking it. But when Celegorm turned around, he was really shocked by the aura which now surrounded Dior even as the half-Elven did not look up from the ground where he still was sitting. Anger, hate, displeasure, bitterness and humiliation and above all, _plain resentment._

"Celegorm...please take Dior on a hunting trip, a long one over several days. He is about to snap…" Nimloth pleaded, her sons hiding in terror behind her as they never had felt anything similar from their father before.

"Pack what he needs for about ten days. I will return after leaving those two money-greedy fools in the village to someone who can deliver them to Oromë for judgment.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Dior had not protested at all when being told that he needed to follow Celegorm, barely answering his family's request to return when he no longer had all those negative feelings inside him. Celegorm did not doubt that the main reason for Dior coming along was the fear of lashing out on his family, when none of them had done anything to deserve his anger.

When finding a good place to set up camp, Celegorm allowed Dior some rather vast space while he fixed a fire and choosing the best dry places, sheltered from rain and wind, to set up their sleeping bags not far from each other if something was needed. Dior may not mean it to be aimed at him, but he had a pretty intensive murderous glare right now. Had they been back in Doriath, during that death duel, Celegorm seriously doubted that he still would have mistaken Dior as a easy target to kill due to his far younger age. This was a death glare worthy that of Maedhros or Fëanor in their worst fury. From how tensed up Dior was in his whole body, he needed a way to let out all those feelings, preferably quickly.

"I will not go far, just getting some new water in the water skins from the stream over there."

But while he gathered fresh water, Celegorm hid himself behind some bushes so Dior would not see him pull down his riding pants and oil himself up in preparation. He had originally planned to first have Dior learn how to be taken gently under controlled surroundings, in the master bedroom with Nimloth around for comfort so Dior would not get a possible panic attack, before switching the positions so Celegorm would be taken by him. But as things were right now, it was better to change that plan. He needed to carefully lead Dior into a position of the dominant partner, offering himself as a target to take out that inner chaos on. Preferring to be taken in a rough way would make it easier for Celegorm, who did not doubt that some of Dior's hidden Maia powers may show themselves due to the intensive feelings in his body, but he doubted that it would be enough to rival how Oromë could show his displeasure over something.

"He was not exactly gentle in how he took me after my rebirth, even if he made a point of not forcing me into it….showing just how disappointed he was by me allowing the Oath to take over my life…"

It was a good thing that he also had requested something else from the village shop, something normally used in training.

Dior looked up at hearing Celegorm calling his name, and then a wooden sword, padded with several layers of sheep wool below a binding of long fabric strips to avoid injury outside simple bruises, landed at his feet.

"I think we need to recreate our last duel somewhat, due to all that tension you carries inside you right now. No killing this time, I promise, the swords are padded especially to avoid that. Besides, Nimloth would kill me before I even would be sentenced to the Halls of Mandos…."

Dior said nothing as he rose to his feet, then picked up the sword before taking a fighting position. Celegorm did so as well, allowing some distance between them.

Then, Dior changed forwards. Whatever it was his anger or the Maia powers, Celegorm was forced back a few steps by the hit he blocked with his own padded sword. Dior may not have that much body strength right now, but sometimes very heated emotions could give some unexpected power to keep going on in battle.

"He is stronger than he looks! No big wonder, really, given how he and Nimloth train together when he was not allowed to train with the guards….!" Celegorm thought, trying to not hit Dior on the left side as the half-Elven kept attacking. Attacking Dior where he could not see, would be cheating and likely mess up the intention of this duel. He could see Dior clench his teeth, the cold stare in his right eye coming even more angry.

" _ **STOP TOYING AROUND WITH ME! THAT IS WHAT EVERYONE KEEP DOING, NO MATTER WHAT I SAYS! THINKING ME TOO FRAGILE OR UNIMPORTANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, JUST BECAUSE I AM THE SON OF THAT DAMNED WOMAN!**_ "

Oh, Dior wanted to let out some resentment aimed towards Luthien? Well, Celegorm could deal with it. He allowed himself to be slammed into a tree with his back first, despite the resulting pain, and then moved around in a manner around the camp that was similar to a chase, Dior following after him with the sword ready for another hit.

" _ **GRANDFATHER AND ALMOST EVERYONE AT HIS COURT ALWAYS KEEP TALKING ABOUT HER BEAUTY AND GENTLE HEART, QUESTIONING WHY SHE FELL FOR MY MORTAL FATHER WITHIN EARSHOT SO I HEARS IT! A FAIR, INNOCENT MAIDEN WHO WAS SEDUCED BY A MAN UNWORTHY OF HER HAND IN MARRIAGE?! NOT IN MY EYES, WHEN SHE TOYED AROUND WITH THE HEARTS AND FEELINGS OF OTHER PEOPLE LIKE YOU, NEVER CARING FOR HOW THEY MIGHT FEEL AFTERWARDS WHEN SHE THREW THEM ASIDE!**_ "

Dior did not seem to view his famous parents in a very good light, despite being their son, most likely because he had been the one having to deal with the consequences of the Quest for the Silmaril. Clearly he resented to be viewed as a weak link in the chain which was his family tree, only joining one famed generation to another.

" _ **GRANDMOTHER MELIAN IS NO HELP, EITHER! NO PROTECTION AGAINST MY GRANDFATHER DESPITE THAT I AM THE ONLY CHILD OF HER DAUGHTER, IGNORING MY PLEADS FOR MAKING HIM STOP BELITTLE ME FOR THE WHOLE THING ABOUT DORIATH FALLING! AND I AM TIRED OF BEING VIEWED AS FLAWED AND NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED WITH ABUSE BECAUSE I AM DRAWN TO BOTH GENDERS!**_ "

Celegorm grabbed hold of Dior's right arm so he could see it, carefully pulling them both down on the ground. There it became more of a wrestling match, Dior cursing and yelling in Taliska as Celegorm held him down. The cursing was cut off temporarily as the Fëanorian kissed him, not the most easy task with how Dior trashed around below him and tried to get free.

"Get off me, bastard!"

"Not yet. This is not over for a little while more," Celegorm grinned in a arrogant manner on purpose, making Dior growl dangerously at him, looking for a moment really similar to how Maedhros may have looked like without the red hair from Nerdanel in the First Age with his blind eye on the other half of his face, as if Dior really had been carrying the blood of Fëanor in his veins instead of the mortal blood from Beren, even if that was impossible since Celegorm never had tried to bed Luthien. Removing their clothes without too many punches and pulling, was not easy but Celegorm managed it.

"Celegorm, I am _warning_ you….!" Dior snarled, now far from the passive manner he normally would show in love-making.

"Feel welcome to attack me with all your might, _**your majesty**_ , you would not be the first one to take me in a rough manner of bedding. Besides, you really want to let out all the anger you hold against Thingol for how he have been mistreating you, right?" Celegorm smirked in response, realizing that Dior secretly needed another lover that could stand the more violent side he rarely showed, given how tender he normally was with Nimloth. Did Thingol really think that his grandson would not end up resenting all the restrictions he had been given in the long run?

" **I said, get off me!** "

Allowing Dior to punch him hard enough to draw blood between his lips, Celegorm used that same movement of falling backwards to straddle the half-Elven's hips and be mounted, one leg on each side of the hips. But he was not done yet, turning around and laying down so his back was firmly against Dior's chest, then grabbing hold of Dior's right arm and leg, one in each hand, Celegorm made them roll over to switch positions.

"What are you do-...!?"

Now, with both of then bending over, Celegorm raised his own hips so his back was arching. Using Dior's own weight to create a really deep penetration, the Noldo then started to push back as a invitation for Dior to take action.

" _CELEGORM!_ "

He was rewarded with a deep bite into his shoulder, hard enough to draw blood, as Dior thrusted really hard into him with a force worthy that of a actual Maia. He could also see the green markings from the other evening show up on the hands which held down his arms, a sign of that Dior must be almost overwhelmed by his own feelings.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

"My, he really enjoys being taken roughly, huh? I have never needed to question why the third son of Fëanor is a favorite of yours to bed, even with the Oath in the past," a female voice laughed as husband's attention was against a magical tapestry on the wall, showing what happened between Celegorm and Dior right now.

Oromë pushed his wife closer to himself with one strong arm without looking away from the scene of the two male Elves, he knew that it was very arousing for Vána to watch others have sex without knowing about that she was watching them. She may seem innocent and sweet, almost looking delicate enough to easy break within the large hands of her husband who towered over her, but enjoyed to shock others with how sexually active she could be with Oromë. She was the only one able to make him drop all dominance and act in a passive role during love-making, all to please her.

"Any idea how to do with Melian? By not protesting against how Thingol is acting with their grandson or telling of that it is not acceptable to do so, she is indirectly abusing young Dior as well. After all, she is one of your Maiar despite being married to Thingol."

Vána snorted in clear dissatisfaction, blowing some of her honey-coloured locks away from her eyes as she laid down on his strong chest.

"You are welcome to remove her spirit from that Elven body she created again at the news of his rebirth. If she now can not accept that her grandson have some minor flaws yet willingly looks past those flaws of her long gone daughter, then I think she needs to open her eyes for reality by force. Some hundred years stuck in a circle of death and rebirth into various human bodies who are bound to be among the various social classes and cultures of the race of Men, should do the trick, especially if she always ends up dying in the mortal body no matter what she does to prevent it from happen."

Even if the Valar kept themselves to Valinor since the war of Wrath, they still knew how the race of Men had developed since the First Age.

"Shall we taunt her with having to giving birth to a dozen of brats that she have to take care of herself since she is too poor to afford servants to help her out like with Luthien, and in other lives be set aside for another wife because she is found out to be barren? Dying in a young age before she even have a mature body to be wed in, or from a old age all alone because her relatives is already gone from life?" Oromë suggested with a slightly feral smile. A giggle was heard in his ear, as a kiss was placed on his jaw.

"Yes! And showing her that favoring her dead daughter is not a healthy manner of handling the younger members of the family, given that Luthien and her mortal caused a lot of trouble for the Elven realms without thinking of how things could go in the larger scale of events."

Oromë smiled at the sound of Celegorm teasing Dior in the magical image, despite that he had to be in some pain now from being mounted so hard and kept down with several vines around his arms and legs too, some which even turned out to be thorny. There was little doubt that Melian had neglected the important task of training Dior in how to use his Maia powers now when he had chosen to be among the Eldar.

"I will only use Dior quickly as a bait for Melian, neither he or Celegorm will be aware of it. I will be back as soon as I can, so please do not use thicker arrows to pleasure yourself again during the wait, sweet Flower of mine."

To ensure that she would indeed wait for him, Oromë took with him the wooden arrows without a metal head, the thickest ones.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Dior was gasping deeply for breath where he now had collapsed on the soft moss, shocked over how intensive his feelings had made him act so out of his normal manners. By the stars above, _what_ had he done?

"Before you starts feeling guilty over mounting me that rough, so do I think that you honestly needed that, since you care too much about your wife to try anything similar with her. You already feel a lot more calmer in your aura than from earlier today. Imaging that it was your grandfather who finally got a taste of his own medicine?" Celegorm attempted to joke, his voice hoarse from screaming, as he raised his head up. He did feel sore, but nothing too worse than what he had felt before. Sure, he would have some bruises, minor wounds from the thorns and bite marks on his skin for the next couple of days, but it would be worth it since Dior had needed to let out all those feelings without snapping mentally.

Dior refused to look at him, still ashamed over how much it felt like he had lost control over himself.

"...is this the reason to why you did not use your powers back in Doriath? Despite that you could have won the duel and me being the only one to enter the Halls?" Celegorm asked, putting some healing salve over the worst injuries, covering up himself with his cloak over his lap. Dior had not made any movement to dress himself, though.

"...I was never given any training to use or control them…neither when I grew up, or here in Valinor after my rebirth….I think my grandparents really want people to believe that I am unworthy of being the son of my parents..." Dior finally admitted.

"Ignoring everything with the Silmaril, Doriath and that Elwing failed to learn a lesson from your mistakes, I think you clearly are doing better in the job as a parent than your grandparents and parents. Especially as you tries really hard to admit your mistakes and….Huan! Are you eating the midday meal without us?!"

The Hound only barked loudly as if laughing at the question, already halfway eating through a freshly caught bird he had hunted while Celegorm and Dior had been busy with other things.

Far above them, Oromë flew past and landed in a tree, ensuring that Celegorm would not sense him. Using a very small arrow, he caught a tiny part of Dior's Maia powers which he carefully pulled away from the half-Elven,formed that small amount into a shade of a glowing leaf which the Huntsman then held in one hand as he continued away.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Meanwhile Melian was just outside the Woods. She would have preferred to not enter there at all, but she could feel the raw power of Dior from somewhere inside there, almost like a trail to where he was, at least.

"He is too dependent on Nimloth to leave her and the boys for too long. If I manages to catch him, they should be easy to find as well so all four can be brought home."

Honestly, why was Dior so difficult? Luthien had never caused any problems outside that event with the Silmaril, could not her son be more similar to his mother so everyone did not have to gossip so about him? It was embarrassing, really, especially as he had taken up the throne in Doriath as a King for the last few years of his short life?

"Perhaps it was a mistake to have Nimloth as his wife once we realized that he indeed was old enough to wed and father future heirs to the throne...she is too strong-willed, not as demure as a princess should be...we should maybe have chosen a different bride rather than the easy choice..."

Now, Melian did not just serve Vána, she did also serve Estë, the wife of Irmo. What she did not know however, was that her two mistresses actually had talked about the problematic relationships in Thingol's family over the last years and that Estë had no wish to be associated with a servant who neglected her own family members in that way.

"He is close! I should catch him before he goes deeper into the Woods again…!"

However, Melian was a bit careless now, as she walked straight into the forest. By failing to think of the possibility that it could be a trap and that she should be careful, she showed that she was partly to blame for how Luthien had never been encouraged to think of possible consequences from her actions.

"Dior? Dior, there you are! Get over here, now! Your grandfather and I are so much disappointed over that you vanished like that….!"

Melian was dumbstruck when it appeared that Dior, rather than obeying as she expected, instead got up and started to run away in the opposite direction.

"Stupid boy! It is Nimloth who told you to run at seeing me, right!? We really should annul your marriage to her and and make you wed another, more demure wife who is not encouraging you into foolish….?!"

Suddenly, Melian fell into a deep, black hole in the ground she had not seen even with her Maia powers. As she vanished screaming into the darkness which led straight to the Halls of Mandos, she saw that it had not been the real Dior she had tried to chase, but a simple illusion so life-like that it could have been real.

"Silly woman. Did you forget that I was the one to find the first Elves once so long ago? I am not called the Huntsman for nothing. Now, I think Námo should not have any trouble with trapping her sprit in a mortal body, and my sweet Flower is waiting for for some fun in my bed," Oromë laughed for himself as he blew on the glowing leaf, returning the small power to Dior since the Vala no longer needed a bait.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note: as I mentioned already on the A/N for earlier chapters, idahlrillion is the inspiration for how Maedhros looks like in this story and she normally draws Maedhros with a blind right eye after his time in Angband for the rest of his life during the First Age, so that is what Celegorm meant with Dior looking a little similar to Maedhros


	10. Chapter 10

_**Powerful words**_

Celegorm was not surprised by that Dior did not really want to talk to him yet. He had likely got a serious shock over his own behavior, from that violent side of himself.

"Do you want some soup?"

It was a basic one made on edible herbs and roots that could be found in the woods, maybe not the most tasty one but nice to have as contrast to meat. However, Dior really did not seem to have much of a appetite, despite trying to eat as much as he managed by the soup.

"...if either one of my grandparents had known what I did earlier to you, even if you are a former enemy….I think they would use it as a legal excuse to...separate me from my family and lock me up…"

"They would do _**WHAT**_ **?!** " Celegorm was caught off guard by that reveal, for in his eyes, Dior's outburst of Maia powers was basically nothing against how things had been in the War of Wrath, according to his two older brothers.

"That is something my grandfather actually have threatened to do with me several times, he had a habit of ranting about a lot of things...especially if he was drunk. He is very bitter over that the Valar actually made his new body infertile, and the same with my grandmother's womb in her Elven body, to really ensure that they would not have another child after all the things with my mother. He can not let go of the idea of my mother being innocent, unable to have caused so much trouble…"

Well, for the Valar to use such a method to really ensure that Luthien would remain as the sole being born between a Elf and a Maia, it was pretty understandable. While Luthien and Beren had proven that Morgoth was not invincible, the Quest for the Silmaril had made a lot of things worse in the long run as well. Celegorm drank some water before asking:

"Unwilling to see her flaws, huh? And so you were fathered by a law-son he already had tried to get rid of, basically making you a target of displeasure before you even was born?"

"That, the whole thing with the fall of Doriath….and the fact that I refuses to be a breeding stud since he can not have another brat himself and father a second daughter with Nimloth or any of the various Elf maids he had tried to bribe into being a mistress to me. Elwing is far too old and set in her own behavior to be changed into a mirror image of my mother, so he wants a second great-grandfather for that wish, creating a illustration of that mother never fell in love with my father and still is a innocent maiden."

Celegorm was perhaps not a genius in the same manner as his father, but he was no air headed idiot either. He knew that when his grandfather Finwë had been reborn, there had been some huge debate over whatever Miriel or Indis would be counted as his actual Queen consort, but Miriel had refused to go back to the role she once had, preferring to live her life as she wanted. Some even said that she flat out had pushed her former husband towards his second wife with such force that the Noldorian had fallen to the ground while Miriel escaped on a free horse to put as much distance between them as possible. She was on good terms with both Finwë and Indis, but was rarely in Tirion.

"Surely he must realize that forcing you into bedding a mistress, just to make you have more children even when you are happy with the amount you already have with a legal wife, is basically another kind of abuse and bound to make him risk his place as a High King? That it can lead to him actually losing his own position? Since you are not very fond of the idea of taking the crown again and the boys are too young while Elrond is happy as a master healer and Elwing already have proven herself to not be a wise ruler in the past, his brother Elmo should be next in line."

Dior shook on his head.

"He is too obsessed with the idea of trying to get my mother back in some manner, even if her soul is far gone in the unknown afterlife of Men. I do not think his feelings for her is of the unhealthy kind, but that he can not let go of the memory she often brings up for those from Doriath."

Stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth just to avoid saying something foolish, Celegorm used it as a reason to think a little bit.

"Then he is a bigger idiot than he already have proven himself in the past. My Atar is well-known for his inner fire that inspired his name to begin with, but that cooled down a lot by seeing how the Oath damaged us, his seven sons, and how it indirectly caused so much trouble for my nephew Celebrimbor in the Second Age as well, with Sauron targeting him mainly for the blood he carries in his veins from Curufin and Atar. He have still not really forgiven himself for making us suffer like that, even after all this time that have passed since."

Dior shivered, recalling his own worry for Elrond's unsure survival during that chaos when the Rings of Power had been made. He had accepted that Elros was out of reach after death, respecting the Choice his eldest grandson had made, but fearing for Elrond had taken hard on the whole family.

"I was so terrified when the Third Kinslaying happened, I feared that Elrond and Elros would face the same short life as my own sons…not even passing into their seventh year of life...and then when Maglor took pity on them in that very moment….I do not think there have been many times when I have been so grateful as when I realized that my grandsons would be spared..."

Celegorm could understand some of that worry, after how he nearly had lost his brothers several times before the Second Kinslaying.

"Maglor always had more of Amil's gentle spirit than we others, which may seem like he is soft-heartened at first look but he still have some of Atar's inner fire as well. Personally I also think it was the memory of your lost sons that made him stop, since Maedhros never found them alive."

Dior felt exhausted, his head spinning over it had almost been too much today in what had happened both at the cottage and here in the woods not long ago. He told Celegorm of the plan to howfully sleep a few hours before walking over to his own sleeping roll.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

 _Normally, Thingol tended to ignore Dior and mostly leave him to do things on his own, outside some social event where he would pretend to be a caring grandfather. Not that Dior really minded, it was easier for him and Nimloth to focus on their sons this way, raising them in the manner they once had intended to do back in the First Age, had they not ended up as the King and Queen consort of Doriath._

" _You called for me, grandfather?"_

 _He was a bit alarmed by the cold glare Thingol sent him, hands held together in front of the mouth to hide a scrowl. What would his grandfather complain about this time?_

" _Dior," Thingol started in that voice which always had made Dior cringle at his given name since it would feel more like a title, "Explain to me...about this, which you made yesterday."_

 _He pushed back his inner fear at seeing that it was the poem he had written yesterday. Had someone seen it, because he had lost it somewhere in the room when his attention had been drawn to the poem Nimloth had made?_

" _Is it a crime to write a poem to the Sun and Moon now?" Dior dared to ask carefully._

" _No, but some of the contents that you wrote. Dior, you should know already that a relationship between a male and female is the most successful one in our sociality because children will be born, and that any other relationship than friendship between males is a waste!"_

 _Dior took a small step back at the accustion, trying to not recoil openly._

" _If this is about those She-elves that have tried to sneak up to me with the obvious idea to bed me when Nimloth is not looking and my refusal of them, I have no intention of taking anyone as a mistress because you want me to sire more children than the three I already have with Nimloth!"_

" _Rather a mistress than you getting into bed with a male lover!"_

" _And that shall come from a King who started the fall of his Kingdom by demanding a cursed gemstone for the hand of his daughter!"_

 _Dior regretted that outburst the very moment afterwards. He knew how Thingol hated to be reminded of when he had requested the Silmaril from Beren as a bride price, and from the furious look his grandfather now bore, that reminder would be paid with a high price._

 _Because of that Thingol was far taller and had longer arm reach as a result, Dior did not manage to back away in time as the front of his already complicated-to-move-in court robe was grabbed..._

~X~X~X~X~X~X

A loud bark close to his ear, forced Dior to wake up before the nightmare become worse.

"Huan! What have my master and I said about you waking people up in that manner!? It is rude, you know, do you not remember how Nelyo would freak out by your barking wake-up call during the first weeks after that our cousin rescued him?!" Celegorm scolded as Dior looked around in shock, pulling the Hound away even as Huan whined, clearly attempting to explain something.

"Silly Hound, you are just too lazy to actually talk with words, or have you really taken a vow of silence because you are not that much for talking?"

Huan, naturally, did not answer outside licking Celegorm in the face as a distraction. From what Dior saw in how the sun was set, it must be early evening now, only a few hours had passed. He did not protest when Celegorm came up to him.

"Huan sensed from your aura that you had a nightmare and chose to wake you up in the manner he knows that have always worked with my family, at least…" Celegorm tried to explain whole holding up small clay cup with some reheated broth from the soup earlier in the middle of the day for Dior to drink.

As the sun vanished below the horizon to give room for the night, stars began to show up on the darkening sky. Not moving form the position of laying on his back, Dior looked up on the distant stars.

"It was during starry nights like this that, back in Tol Galen, I could find himself think and wonder how Valinor would be. Maybe it was my Maia blood which longed to return, but I would always feel a wish to sail there and see the wonders of the Undying Land. Perhaps it is because I never left Beleriand at all during my old life, I only travelled between Doriath, Tol Galen and Lanthir Lamath. My father once suggested that I would make a coming-of-age journey like my mortal ancestors all had done between the age of eighteen and twenty, but my mother forbade it, refusing to let me leave…"

Again Celegorm wondered just how wise it had been by Beren and Luthien to raise their only child in a such secluded place. He could understand that they had not wanted to be attacked with questions and curious people after returning from death, but Dior had not been given a much normal childhood as a result. His social skills was acceptable good, but he could not really hide how more comfortable he was with only his family around.

"Most likely afraid of that you would run into me and risk either injury or even death. She meant well, no doubt, but I think you really would have needed that journey for maturing a bit in your own way. Some people grow by knowing that they can do things without help."

Moving over, Celegorm placed himself so Dior could have his head in the Noldo's lap. For a little time, both were silent.

"If I could go back in time and knowing what would happen between us now….I would have offered to make you a secondary Consort in exchange for giving back the Silmaril to your brothers, the moment I learnt of my parents passing away, since I could never betray Nimloth by setting her aside and mother would never accept seeing you at my side while she was alive…"

Celegorm smiled a little.

"That kind of offer would have been a surprise, but yes, I would have said yes to it if I had known about this between us now. However, it is most likely that you and your family would have need to run away in self-made exile from Doriath, for your own safety, the moment the court had learned about a such plan."

"Both Nimloth and I would rather choose exile over having to be King and Queen consort again. In fact, I bet that we even would have chosen to sneak away and become voluntary hostages for your family, rather than go off to living in Lanthir Lamath after our wedding when I was twenty-seven years old," Dior insisted with a annoyed glare on the Fëanorian, who now openly shook in his whole body with mirth.

"I would gladly have seen the shocked look of pure horror on her face for that, and on you grandfather as well. But here in Valinor...the Woods have their own rules as Oromë is the Lord here, not Manwë who is a bit too naive and idealistic about the nature of the world even nowadays. What happens in those Woods... _stays here_."

Dior's seeing eye widened in surprise as Celegorm kissed him on the lips. Though the following blush had to be expected, he was not really used to be doing this kind of things with the older Noldo yet.

"Do not worry. Nothing will happen without your consent, remember? But there is _other ways_...to make a enchanted night under the stars," Celegorm whispered to Dior, a hidden promise of seduction that was not of a sexual kind in his voice before they kissed again.

" _Mother...you were_ _ **wrong**_ _about Celegorm...he is not a monster...just a Noldo prince who fell under the power of a horrible Oath..._ _ **and who happened to see you for what you really was, below the power of bewitching people to fall in love with you**_ _...nothing else than a_ _ **enchanting poison**_ i _n a body of flesh and blood…and who left me to deal with the result of your selfish actions because you never was allowed to suffer consequences by your parents!_ " Dior thought for himself, feeling a increasing spite against Luthien in the depths of his heart where it had been growing in secret over his lifetime, allowing Celegorm to kiss him on the skin he bared on his shoulder by opening the tunic slightly so it slided off a little bit.

If taking Celegorm as a lover to become a ironic revenge against Luthien and Thingol, taking what she once had rejected, so was Dior willing to do so. He had enough of standing in their shadows.

"Celegorm…" Dior started, drawing the attention of the other Elf, " _ **Claim me as the royal consort you once desired from Doriath, in body.**_ "

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note: Canon never mention whatever Elrond or Elros is the oldest twin, but I have seen other stories where Elros is the eldest and think that may have affected why he became a ruler among Men, as the first King of Númenor


	11. Chapter 11

_**The heat of passion**_

"Are you _really sure_ of that you want to do that step already? It is not that many days past a fortnight since we started to try out about how you would have it with a male lover," Celegorm had to ask, where he still had drawn up Dior to rest against his chest. Something had changed in Dior since that outburst of power as he had allowed the half-Elven to take him in order to release that inner anger and resentment.

" _ **What my mother once rejected, I was willing to atone for in the past. I want to move out of her shadow once for all.**_ "

Dior really meant it, it was evident in his face as he looked Celegorm in the eyes. Perhaps this was what Nimloth had meant, that Dior had become a shadow of himself in the early years of their marriage and parenthood as the burden of Kingship and that problematic relationships with his relatives wore him down.

"Then I might know a good place for this," Celegorm said, taking out a smaller bag from his hunting items in the saddlebag and hung it over one shoulder. Against his faint protests, Dior was lifted up by Celegorm and carried in his arms.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Celegorm aimed for a smaller waterfall at a large glade just a little bit away from the camping place.

"This is…!"

A wave of remembrance hit Dior when he saw the place. It reminded him very much of a distinguishable dream that always had haunted his sleep, from childhood until death. Had it been a possible hint of what to come? Carefully laying Dior down on the moss, Celegorm said:

"I will need to prepare you first, in several ways. Preferably also make you come, since it is a bit easier to relax in all your body after a such passion. It is not unheard of that beginners have difficult to properly relax at first being taken and I would rather avoid that you have any pains at all."

Dior nodded, not really daring to move first as Celegorm undressed them both and then they washed off their bodies together in the pool around the waterfall as a first step. At first Dior tensed up at feeling Celegorm come up against his back, but calmed down when the Noldo were just lightly stroking a hand over his buttcheeks to see how he would react.

"It is just to see if you are sensitive or not, that can play a huge part in whatever it will be enjoyable or not," Celegorm explained as they used his cloak for Dior to lay down on. Moss was soft to lay in, but less so when it could be wet. Laying down close to Dior, Celegorm opened the first of several vials with oils they were going to use this night.

By instinct and old habit, Dior soon began to react on the kisses and strokes over all of his body. Mildy teasing at first, but gentle ones that did not scare him. That Celegorm used a massage oil to spread over his body, made it very pleasant when their bodies were just touching together.

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Mm."

Since this was not the first time Celegorm initiated a fellow male into this kind of bedding, he knew that rushing was out of the question. Plenty of foreplay, lots of oil and going slowly was the key to success in a situation like this. Too much pain risked to ruin it all.

When Dior, heavy blushing and rather wide-eyed from being aroused by the foreplay, began to press against him instinctively in a silent plea for more, Celegorm knew that he was ready for some more pleasure.

"Ah!"

Dior moaned as Celegorm took him deeply in mouth, using his tongue and the hands moving its finger tips in small circles around the rest of his groin area for more sensation. Again, a small part of Dior's mind wondered why his mother had to reject Celegorm in a such rude manner, but at the same time, he was secretly pleased over that it had left the Fëanorian for him.

Of course, Dior was a little surprised when Celegorm moved his hands to slowly begin to caress the sides of his lower back, carefully going further down, but he did not protest. The touch was exactly as he wanted to be touched, no too hard or too loose. Instead he thrusted harder against the heat around his manhood, which Celegorm gladly met with sucking harder. It did not take long before Dior went over the edge, and Celegorm removed his mouth only when he had drunk a lot of the seed that he had tasted.

"Move over to one side, so we are facing the same direction. I am not going to claim you on all four in the manner of a beast of the woods, it is a position unworthy of the first time for a _**King**_ **.** "

Dior gasped when he felt a oil-covered finger press slightly against his opening, tried to not tense up when it slowly slid inside because of the unfamiliar feeling of having it there. It was true that he and Nimloth had played around with their hands and mouths, but they had never tried anything like this outside caressing him there.

"Relax, I will add on some pain-numbing salve so you will not feel much pain, and then only give you a little taste of the movements for later."

After that the salve had been spread around his opening and been given some time to work, and the finger was being moved in and out in slow movements with more oil added to ensure that it did not dry up, Dior soon began to not feel uncomfortable anymore as he grew used to it, it helped that the Noldo tenderly massaged his manhood to give him something else to focus on. Then Celegorm added a second finger, slightly keeping them apart to give Dior a guess of the size that would come later. Suddenly Dior let out a small shriek when Celegorm bent the fingers and hit something when pushing upwards, feeling as if lightning bolts of pure pleasure went through his body.

"Found it, your prostate. Perfect for great pleasure in bedding now when I know where it is," Celegorm whispered in a seductive voice, licking one of Dior's pointed ear tips. With Celegorm pressing at the spot again, Dior felt as if he was seeing stars of pleasure.

"Please...please….!"

"Soon. Just a little more oil, there is a difference between fingers and a manhood, as you should know by looking on your own body."

Dior whimpered in protest, it felt like he was going mad with need, sweat making his hair stick to his skin and he gasped loudly for breath from how intensive it felt in his body. Removing his fingers, Celegorm gently pushed Dior's top leg a little forward while placing himself behind Dior so they both laid on the same side.

"Keep breathing steady like you do now. Do not hold your breath, it will only make you tense up and feel uncomfortable."

Then he entered Dior, only just past the head of his own manhood, not moving to let the half-Elven become used to it. Even if there was only a very minor discomfort at first, Dior felt himself stretch to a degree he never had thought was possible in the past and he heard himself scream in a mix of pleasure and pain. But soon the discomfort vanished, helped by that Celegorm tried to distract him by a new massage on his manhood.

Carefully, Celegorm made a few thrusting movements to see if Dior would be in pain from that.

"Does this hurt?" he asked.

"N-no…"

Step by step, Celegorm then slowly slid more and more inside until that he had sheltered himself fully inside Dior. Using his free arm to push Dior close so they had body contact skin to skin, he whispered:

"You are doing well, so well that neither one of us likely believes it. It is like you were born to show the flaws of your mother. Your own physical beauty may be marred, but you show your emotions far more openly."

Dior trembled in the hold he found himself in, the discomfort from being was gone but there was a new, strange feeling as Celegorm began to thrust a little more. It was not long before he cried out in pleasure, because Celegorm knew where to aim with the thrusts.

Suddenly, Celegorm rolled over so he seemed to be mounting Dior, but then made them both stand on their knees, keeping Dior upward with his arms around the chest, all done without losing the steady rhythm of slow thrusts.

"One of my own favorites...because of this."

Gently he made Dior look at him with his seeing eye over the shoulder and took a chance to kiss him. The after-following groan once the kiss was broken, revealed that Dior no longer suffered any discomfort. Again the green markings on his skin showed up, the pattern almost forming completely.

Celegorm tried with some more powerful thrusts, just to show the difference. But he refused to do anything more rough than that, too violent thrusts held the risk of that Dior could be injured. By listening on the sounds Dior made, he knew that the younger half-Elven could not take it for much more and aimed on the prostate for a really strong effect, making Dior tense up before screaming even louder. As the orgasm hit him, Dior lost the strength to stay upward and Celegorm held up his hips while Dior almost collapsed down on the cloak. Dior shuddered at the last two thrusts deep inside him, Celegorm bending over him to keep him in place, growling his name in his ear as an unfamiliar warmth filled his insides.

Dior was barely conscious as the Noldo gently slid out of him to check for any trail of blood that would reveal that it had been too rough there at the end, but Dior didn't care about the feeling of the sticky fluid on his thighs. He felt weak like a newborn kitten, trembling all over. He felt Celegorm draw a damp cloth over his skin to clean him off.

"You did well for a beginner with a male lover, and I really mean it."

Dior barely had the strength to smile faintly in return, before an exhausted sleep claimed him. Covering him with the cloak for warm, Celegorm washed off himself in the pool before gathering the items back in the smaller bag again.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Once back in the camp, Celegorm placed Dior in the sleeping back without waking him up. The fire had almost gone out, since Huan hated to burn his nose or paws on the fire when adding some more firewood to keep the fire going.

"I know that you are here, Master."

As soon as Celegorm had spoken, Oromë showed up in a more solid form at his side. Not a exact body of flesh and blood, but it was formed by grass and leaves from the vegetation around the camp. It just one of many ways the Huntsman of the Valar kept in contact with his followers without being physically present where they were.

"Are you intending on entering a full-time relationship with the former King and his consort? I can see it in your eyes, you are serious about this."

Celegorm thought for a few minutes before answering:

"...if they both want it and with the approval of my family alongside Nimloth's, Thingol have no right to say anything about our relationship after how he treated Dior in the past. I refuse to become a person that drives a married couple apart simply because one of the spouses have feelings for me. I have been in love many times in the past, but Dior….Dior creates a deeper feeling inside me. It is nothing like the feelings I once held for his mother, they were but a illustration she hoped to use with her powers, to gain power over me."

Oromë nodded in approval over his words.

"It brought me great grief to hear about how you were almost insane with obsession for revenge against Luthien and her descendants, after the news that she returned to life and had a child with her mortal husband. That darkness in your heart is almost vanished like smoke for the wind now."

By instinct Celegorm placed a hand over where his heart was beating against his ribs. Oromë was right, he felt nothing else than indifference about Luthien now. Instead, the feelings against Dior had grown. Where it once was hate and resentment over that the half-Elven could have been his son, had Luthien chosen differently, several other feelings had replaced them.

"Good to hear that, for I know now that I would never forgive myself if I hurt Dior again. He is strong and yet frail on the same time. He have had his trust in his maternal family ruined, resentment over that people only remember him as her son or as the King who lost Doriath."

"Invite him and his wife to be present at the late summer hunt festival, with you and a trusted person to watch their boys while you three are away. My sweet Flower is already working on something that might help him to keep control over the Maia abilities he inherited from Melian, she is not very pleased over how Melian failed to train him and seems to have gotten fond of the young King," Oromë suggested, vanishing back into the Woods before Celegorm could ask anything about it.

"The hunting festival in a few weeks, huh? Should perhaps be a good time to confess that I want a long-term relationship then…"

Laying another piece of wood on the fire to keep it going, Celegorm went to sleep himself in his own sleeping roll.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

At a inn about two days from the Woods, Maedhros and Elrond had just finished a late dinner. It was long journey from Formenos to the south-west, even with their fastest horses, but they would soon be at their end of their journey. Maedhros had drawn a few suspicious glances due to his presence, but Elrond had pretended to talk loudly about medicinal herbs that could be found in the Woods and he had followed along.

"I beg your pardon!" Elrond said when he nearly bumped into someone wearing a huge cloak and hood, expect for that his attention was drawn by a glimpse of silver hair below the fabric. And a face that bore some little similarity to both Dior and Nimloth, though closer to his grandmother.

"Elrond? Maedhros?! No questions please, come with me, quickly!"

They followed into a room where the door was carefully locked, and by removing the hood, the stranger revealed himself to be no one else than Elmo. Why the youngest brother of Thingol was out here, Elrond guessed that it had to be with the events a few months back, Nimloth's family had always been having a better family bond over the generations than Thingol side of the family tree.

Before Elrond could ask, Elmo said:

"Officially I am on the way to Alqualondë and met up with Olwë about the missing family members. But that is actually a ruse even if I actually shall travel there in a few days, I have just been meeting with some secret allies that share my belief that it is impossible to blame the disappearance on the House of Fëanor. I need to do it in secret because my oldest brother refuses to listen to reason."

"Well, that is some news that will please my father and my brothers, at least. We feared that a such accusation would end up going out of control, simply because of past events."

Elmo nodded.

" _ **If**_ you manages to find Nimloth and her family….please tell them that we fully understand the need to escape from my brother and that they will need to remain in hiding until autumn, at least, so they are not caught up in something _ugly_ that will happen soon in the south."

The carefully chosen words made Elrond a little suspicious. Maedhros had a similar look on his face.

"You are planning something illegal, are you not?"

" _ **A coup to dethrone Thingol and force him to abdicate.**_ He is not proving himself to be a good ruler anymore for various reasons and the walls to his private office is not as sound-proof as he thinks. I have heard Dior crying and pleading for him to stop, whatever my brother have abused him. Since Olwë is already King of the Teleri side of our peoples and it is very doubtful that Dior would want a position that once got him killed, I will take over the crown."

Well, that was unexpected, but also something Thingol literally had invited to happen eventually.

"Oh, I think that Dior and Nimloth will be much pleased to hear that he will not be in power for much longer," Maedhros smiled, a dangerous smile that he had used whatever it was some very pleasant news in the wars against Morgoth.

"The plan is that the coup will happen shortly before the harvest. I do not know where Melian is currently since she had not been heard from since a few days back when I left the palace for this journey, but I hope that she will not intervene with the coup or it will be unlikely to succeed."

Recalling the horrible drawings of the injures Dior had suffered from the abuse, Elrond could only hope that Melian would be distracted by something a long way from there and not come rushing to Thingol's defense when the coup happened.

"Elrond, we need to go to our guest room and sleep now, since we planned to get up early tomorrow. Elmo, pretend that we never met here, I know that innkeeper is one of the Noldor which followed us in exile, but I would rather not take any risks about this."

With that silent agreement, Maedhros and Elrond left the room.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

When Dior woke up the next day, the sun was high on the sky. Looking around, still feeling half-asleep because of how froggy his mind was, he realized that Celegorm must have carried him back to the camp afterwards.

"You really are not used to love-making twice in less than a day between, are you not? I have already eaten some breakfast earlier, and there is some waiting for you here."

Celegorm had warned him during the foreplay that he would feel sore because it was the first time he tried anything like this, so Dior tried to move as little as he could unless it was needed. Celegorm had made a simple porridge on oatmeal and mix of early-ripping raspberries and blueberries, which tasted nice even if there was no milk to have to it.

"I do not have the highest of sex drive, remember? Nimloth and I am both pleased if it so happens once or maybe twice a month….and it dropped basically to zero when we had three small children to care for and had the royal duties in Doriath to deal with at the same time. I would often collapse into bed at the end of a work day there and fall into sleep at once…" Dior spoke with dread in his voice, showing that he did not want to return to a such hectic life. Celegorm recalled the rumour of that his uncle Finarfin had almost thrown the crown at Finwë at the latter's rebirth, refusing to deal with the duties of a High King any longer than needed, especially as Finwë was the only High King that all of the Noldor could agree on.

"I think both you and my paternal uncles could keep yourselves up all night while taking about how it is to suddenly find yourself in the role of a King. Of course, uncle Fingolfin originally meant to follow my father, he became a leader due to getting left behind with no other choice than crossing the Grinding Ice…"

Dior took the time to finish some hot herb tea Celegorm had made for him.

"Sounds like difficult family relationships are found in both our families, you mean. Though I think your father had a more legal reason about being the only known Elf without a mother at that time, than my grandfather acting as he does."

Celegorm recalled his father in those times before the Darkening of Valinor, how Fëanor seemed to be lost in some way now when looking back at his behavior.

"Yes. We only learnt after coming to Middle-Earth that having a missing parent, or sometimes even both parents, was more common for the Elves before Oromë found them, most commonly by a fatal accident like drowning in a flood caused by massive rainfall, something happening during a hunt that went out of control or by being taken by Morgoth and his dark creatures. When coming to Valinor and living in a safe place the Noldor, Vanyar and Teleri wanted to put those horrible times behind them, only to not really knowing how to truly explain the loss and comfort my father when it happened to my grandmother Miriel, in a place where death should not happen. As my generation was not raised to be prepared for something like that, or our parents' generation in the risk of possibly losing their children, I think we all got messed up in some way when Morgoth killed my grandfather, who was the one to keep the family together somewhat even when things went... _sour_ between my father and oldest uncle."

Dior nodded in agreement. He did not know much about the individual members in the royal family of the Noldor, since most of them had been dead by the time of his birth and he had never traveled to Nargothrond before its Fall, but he had learnt about what had happened to cause the Exile from Valinor while being in the Halls of Mandos, just to try and pass time during the long wait for rebirth.

Laying down beside Dior, Celegorm stroked a finger over his cheek in a slow manner, then carefully placed himself closer. Of course, this caught the younger one's attention.

"...I...do not think that I can…." Dior admitted nervously.

"Relax, I know that you may be too sore for another round yet. But I can show you other positions between male lovers without actually taking you."

True to his words, Celegorm made Dior straddle his hips while remaining on his back. Of course, Dior did have a feeling that something about that position felt familiar and he paled slightly when he realized exactly why. Yet before he lost himself in a panic attack triggered by memories of the past, Celegorm pulled Dior down so their faces was very close thanks to Dior laying on his chest.

"I am not planning to kill you again, remember? It simply become so, since your left foot was what I grabbed to bring you out of balance and that large shield of yours was not very useful for defense in that position."

Now Celegorm slowly sat up, raising his knees so Dior was sitting in his lap. The half-Elven blushed at feeling that the Noldo was half hard again, and slightly pressed against him. With a faint smile as if spotting a secret victory Celegorm tested with a few light thrusts, making Dior yep in surprise as the movements pushed him closer to Celegorm.

"Do not act that prudish, we both know that you are perfectly fine about things related to what happens in the bedroom."

Now Celegorm began to thrust more intense. True to his words, he made no moment to enter Dior but there was no doubt about the way he moved. Dior could sense that he was starting to become affected as well, and failed to suppress the moan which left his lips.

"That is a far better response. In fact…" Celegorm moved Dior closer so he could whisper in his ear, " _ **I wanted to capture you already there in Doriath. Dominate you, for what your parents did. Imagine me claiming you as my pray, there on the throne used by yourself and your grandfather, in front of everyone else, driving you mad with need and begging me to take you...**_ "

The soft wail that left Dior at hearing those words, told Celegorm he might have dreamed of something similar but that he did not like to idea of being taken in a open place where people could see it happen. The Fëanorian only grinned, licking Dior's throat and neck in a very erotic manner.

"Unlike what the Sindar seem to believe, or what the official version of the story says, I am not the type to force myself on unwilling partners. That was something I refused to do, even as the Oath drove me into a inner darkness. Your mother might have feared that I actually would rape her when I tried to abduct her in front of your mortal father, but if things had gone just a little different there in Doriath and we had not killed each other...I would most likely have taken you as captive to use as a hostage, to exchange the King of Doriath and your family against the Silmaril which little Elwing escaped with. But not in chains like a slave, Maedhros would never have allowed that after his time in Angband."

Dior was honestly shivering, both in desire and some minor underlying fear, over what Celegorm was whispering to him. In fact, he could really imagine that to happen back during the Second Kinslaying, if things had just changed a little bit. Celegorm was a far older and more seasoned warrior after all who had survived against the armies of Morgoth, while nearly all his own earlier battles had been against stray orcs or other dangers he had been able to deal with himself. Leading soldiers in battle to defend their home had not been covered anywhere as a part of his training while growing up.

"Cel…"

The words failed Dior, but Celegorm understood. And he did not hold it against Dior if he had gotten somewhat scared by those words, given how the Oath had held such power over him at that time. Pressing their lips together in a heated kiss, Celegorm held Dior close as he climaxed.

Gasping for breath because of the heat inside him, Dior would have collapsed if Celegorm had not kept him steady. By Eru, the half-Elven simply was divine in how seductive he looked right now, with the heavy blush as he gasped for air and the fascinating contrast between the stormy grey of his seeing right eye and the blind white one on his left side.

"That reminds me...how come that you and Nimloth married? Looking at the family tree, you are the same generation as her grandfather Galadhon, if I remember the generations right, despite that you are far younger."

The question made Dior try to focus a little more, even if he was very tempered to simply allow sleep claim him again.

"The practical reason...grandfather wanted to keep the throne into the family, and Nimloth was the only female born into the family outside my mother before Elwing was born...and she have a particular taste in a husband, since she never liked the idea of merely being a wife to show up at court and give heirs to her husband. I would not call it a ideal, but a wish to stand out a little bit. And I am basically the one who came closest to that ideal of how she husband would be in personality. She was also one of the few adults who never treated me like a child even as I entered adolescence, and understood that I would grow into a adult much sooner than other Elflings…"

"So you fell in love with her from a young age, huh? No big wonder, you two are a very fine match in personality, You would most likely have ended up in a rather unhappy marriage if you had married someone else. From what my cousin Galadriel told us of the court life in Doriath, one of those naive noble maidens would not have been a good wife in the longer run."

Dior made a unhappy face. Celegorm had no idea how similar he and Nimloth would be thinking at times, which he believed to be a reason to why he was drawn to the Fëanorian, that similarity.

"I always found them silly and slow-witted because they almost never knew what I attempted to talk about. Sure, many of them were young, but I never really got a connection to any of them unless it was some of Nimloth's friends who often were far older than those maidens and already married. Their relatively well educated daughters, in turn, was also pleasant to talk with but it never got any deeper, really. There was also people who did a lot of gossip from the fact that I preferred the company of married ladies and her husbands over those in my own age or, as I grew up, those who were also young and unmarried."

"She is like a rock to keep clinging to in the middle of a storm, then? Well, then I will try and make it my role to become a rope that ensures that you are not swept off that rock by a massive wave or strong winds," Celegorm assured, sealing the promise with a kiss on Dior's shoulder. In return Dior gives him a tired smile with honest gratitude, before resting his head on Celegorm's shoulder, the beating heart sounding like a lullaby to carry him off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Important news**

For the next two following days, Celegorm and Dior focused on battle training, rather than another kind of training with their bodies. Again it was revealed just how neglected Dior had been by Thingol simply by refusing to allow him to train with the palace guards, as he often ended up being hit by Celegorm's padded wooden sword so he was either landing on the ground or getting bruises.

"I think you need a new trainer for this. My specialty is hunting, not warfare. And while Nimloth is skilled on her own, I think it would be better to try some more serious battle training. Maedhros would be a good choice, he insists on that we all need to keep our battle skills and not be careless just because Valinor is a peaceful land," Celegorm said on the third evening, helping Dior to put some healing salve over the worst bruises where he had difficult to reach. Hissing slightly from being touched at the sore skin, Dior nodded in agreement.

"Can he afford to leave that orphanage he is mentioned to be running in Formenos, for a longer time?"

"Everyone needs a break at times, which he would welcome because it should be a while since he last left the north of Valinor for a good reason. And I know that even as your sons are reborn, my oldest brother can still be haunted by nightmares about how he failed to find them alive."

Dior shivered at the reminder. Eluréd and Elurín truly hated the winter season after freezing to death in the outside cold and snow, and it never helped to bundle them up into layers upon layers of warm, thick clothing just for a small walk outside for some fresh air, they would rather remain indoors all winter than stepping outside.

"It is gonna be a lot of work just to get them outside in half a year when autumn gets colder. They hates winter time," Dior sighed deeply, redressing himself again.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Another two days followed, before they chose to return home to the cottage. Dior had began to worry about his family and did not want to leave them alone for much longer, the two unfamiliar Elves from earlier had unnerved him a lot by fearing that Thingol could possibly find them all four soon.

"You have every right to worry, given he even have started to send out wanting posters and promises of a big reward for finding your family and bringing you all back to the south," Celegorm assured as they rode on, Huan running just a little bit ahead.

But when they came close to the cottage, there was two new horses there. But from the way Huan barked a friendly greeting, there was no danger to find this time. And one very tall Elf with red hair was calmly sitting in the grass while allowing two identical silver-haired Elflings sit and talk loudly about something with him.

"Grandfather!" Elrond called, hurrying out from the cottage after spotting the two riders. Yet as he dismounted, Dior suddenly recalled how he and Nimloth basically had tricked Elrond into coming to the south by claiming that he and the boys had fallen ill, even if it had been a ruse to hide their escape from Thingol's palace. If anything, Elrond would have a perfectly justified reason to scold him for that lie.

"I am sorry for that we sent that false letter about….?!"

Dior was interrupted by Elrond hugging him, in honest relief that his grandfather was alright and alive. The famed healer had greatly worried that the older half-Elven had become too damaged emotionally by the abuse from Thingol, flat out fearing to feel the warning signs that tended to foreshadow a possible suicide attempt since he had spotted up such signs in mortals who had suffered similarly before they broke completely. But there was no such signs in Dior, rather a new feeling was found to flow around in his aura, a hint to a inner strength he had not had before. Was it perhaps related to that he had been arriving with Celegorm? Elrond chose to put those questions for later, at seeing that Dior attempted to apologize for something that had been needed to do.

"It is fine, I do not blame any of you for running away. It was the right thing to do, before it became even worse. And requesting me to arrive under the false claims of a illness that prevented your family from being seen in public eyes, helped to make it seem serious," Elrond responded, before releasing Dior and looking him over. Dior did not protest when his grandson laid extra focus on his blind eye, he had requested more of the eye drop medicine after all. It seemed like Nimloth must have told about his worries about the hearing in his left ear, since that was where Elrond checked next.

"No change in the blind eye. Slight impaired hearing on the left ear from how Thingol seems to have hit you there, but I think the damage might heal itself over the next coming years with some outside help from my powers and trying to avoid loud noises, like how crowded it can be in a city. We Elves may be more quiet on our feet than mortals and Dwarves unless it is marching soldiers, but some things never changes no matter what kind of city that is being lived into."

Dior relaxed at hearing that his hearing should able to heal. The few times other Elves had seen his blind eye, they tended to either react as if it was an undesirable feature which made his physical appearance imperfect, like a horrible insult to the beauty of Luthien since so many expected him to be one of the most fairest beings alive just because he was her son. Unfortunately, it happened also with the Mannish features he had gotten from Beren, and thus acted as one of the background reasons Dior were so careful to shave off all the extra hair if needed.

While sharing some lunch together, which Maedhros had made with some food he brought in the village, they took a chance to tell news from outside the Woods. Among that the coup Elmo planned to use in order to remove Thingol from power.

"I am not surprised over that Elmo plans to do something like that. My family have always supported Dior and our marriage, but it is a well known fact that my great-grandfather is very comfortable with his lot in life. For him to take a such action and actually take the leadership himself….it means that he is fearing that Thingol might lash out on others, or start a full-scale social disaster between the Sindar and the Noldor in the form of accusing the House of Fëanor for our disappearance. Especially given... _past events_ …," Nimloth spoke carefully, but the four male Elves nodded in understanding. No need to mention the Quest of the Silmaril here.

"Yes, I think my grandfather have some trouble to look past the first impression, or what have given him the strongest impression of people. In my case, I think the loss of Doriath...is the reason…" Dior added in, quickly emptying his wooden mug med water to have a excuse to not talk more.

"I would like to see how well he would have dealt with losing Doriath, without the Girdle to protect the borders. Given that he was slain by some Dwarves over a horrible insult and mutual greed over the Silmaril, I really doubt that he would have been able to slay any of us, unlike you. A tall body and long limbs may seem like a advantage in battle, but believe me when I say that it can be a handicap as well," Maedhros commented in a dry voice, Celegorm said nothing but had a similar feelings. Even with the tallest known Elf as maternal grandfather and a shape-shifting Maia as maternal grandmother, Dior was just slightly above normal height, roughly a head below Maedhros but not above Celegorm, enough close to normal height to not be a open target for long distance attacks with arrows in the same manner as Thingol would be.

Dior did actually smile, a dangerous one which revealed that he was not as passive as Thingol wanted him to seem.

"He would have made a _**most handsome hedgehog**_ in those extravagant court robes he loves to wear as part of being a King."

Realizing that Dior meant arrows as the spines and that the comment was a secret wish for Thingol to have been the one to die in the Second Kinslaying, Celegorm snickered at the mental image.

"Is it alright with some separate family time under the afternoon? My family asked me to pass on some information to Tyelko that is only for family ears," Maedhros suggested, which the other adults agreed on.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Going over to the village for some more real alcoholic drinks, even if they had enjoyed the cider Nimloth had served alongside the water to drink, it did not take long for Celegorm to tell Maedhros of what had happened over the past weeks.

"So you think that this is really serious, to the point that you even are willing to end all other relationships in bed and stay faithful to Dior? Even the Huntsman himself, despite being one of his favorites?" Maedhros asked bluntly, setting down his wine bottle on the table between them.

The House of Fëanor were not blind to that Celegorm was in a sexual relationship with Oromë, it had been that way long before the Darkening, so in general Maedhros was not too shocked. No, the biggest surprise was who Celegorm was with this time.

"Yes. There is no enchantment over me this time, like with Luthien. This is a mutual feeling. Though I admit a worry over that Atar may disagree with my choice of partner…"

"I think Atar and Amil would be happy to hear that you finally have found someone you can love without the emptiness Luthien's enchantment left in you. Now, I believe the biggest inconvenience would be all this mess with Thingol, and the fact that Dior already is married. Even if Nimloth have given her consent to that he takes a male lover, there is people here in Valinor who will see it as him cheating on her, or that you targets the son for being a substitute for the mother."

From the gloomy look on Celegorm's face that greeted him, that was straight on in what the younger brother must worry about in this relationship. Out of habit from the First Age, Maedhros moved away the wine bottle closer to himself, if Celegorm felt the need to empty it in one gulp.

"Everything comes back to that royal enchantress or the events of the fall of Doriath, huh? Dior fears that as well, that people will only see our relationship in that way. He understand that she will forever cast a shadow in our lives, but he have managed to forgive me for killing him in the past. If that is not showing that he is different in personality and behavior from his mother, what does?" he asked.

"Well, it is a good thing that the Woods is ruled differently from its Master than the one with his head up in the clouds. If you three wishes to take that final step in a true relationship, just make sure to send out words to us first so we can be present. We already missed Celebrimbor's wedding in the Second Age because we either was in the Halls or here in Valinor, and both our Amil and law-sister Astarë have always regretting missing that event, even if we met Narvi a few times in the Halls to help Celebrimbor healing from the torture and death Sauron gave him," Maedhros answered, referring to Curufin's wife Astarë. Celegorm actually laughed somewhat.

"Well, if people thinks that our nephew is scandalous enough by his wife being a Dwarrowdam of all ladies for him to marry and that he is currently in the war south to see if the Dwarven rumours are true, so to check if she may have gotten a new living body so they finally can live here in Valinor together, then they can't claim anything similar with me entering a relationship with Dior. Yes, he is still young by Elven standards, but in body and mind he is a grown-up. If he could marry at age twenty-seven and already be a father to three brats at his death nine years later, then he is perfectly able to consent to a sexual relationship with someone else than his dear wife."

It seemed that Celegorm had needed some encourage, and reminder in that he was not the only known member in the family that would be in a relationship which was bound to end up questioned by sociality. In a way, Celebrimbor had proven himself a very different rebel than his grandfather, his rebellion being the choice of who his wife ended up being.

"I will take the work with explaining this to our family, since I think it is best that you keep protecting Dior and his family here in the Woods until that we know for sure that Thingol have been removed from his royal position."

The two Fëanorian brothers nodded in agreement. Celegorm needed to lay low and not leave the Woods for now since Thingol likely had him as a main suspect for the one to "stealing" Dior and his family away, because of his past actions with Luthien, when Thingol likely would refuse to admit his own fault for the events over the past few years.

"That reminds me, I had planned to give Dior a gift at the late summer hunt. Do you think that you can help me choose something good, Nelyo? I am not that good when it comes to gifts fitting royalty, after all."

Maedhros nodded. It was not that Celegorm was bad when it came to gifts, but sometimes he requested help to ensure that it really matched his plans.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Meanwhile back at the cottage, Nimloth and Dior had also taken the chance to tell Elrond what had happened between them and Celegorm over the past weeks. Personally, the healer did not see a such relationship as anything to fuss about, if it helped Dior to feel undivided in his feelings against both genders, why make a scandal out of it? It could very well be that Celegorm was the protector Dior needed outside what he already had with Nimloth.

When Eluréd and Elurín got back inside after playing with Huan for a bit, their parents took the chance to ask Elrond for other news around Valinor outside the secret that Elmo planned to overthrow Thingol.

"So far, nothing big from Tirion or Alqualondë since your disappearance are still the biggest mystery to be talked about this year. Lots of gossip and guesses to why you vanished and such. I even overheard someone claim that you spirited away your family to Middle-Earth because you wanted to see how the race of Men had taken over the lands there."

Elrond had to agree with the sullen faces of his grandparents and young uncles.

"Have people nothing better to do than gossiping about us?"

"Maybe the Valar should just send of those people as ambassadors to the Kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan, that should shut them up given that Elves are less common in Middle-Earth nowadays!"

Well, it seemed like his twin uncles had paid good attention in the history lessons which focused on the events during the Third Age, since they mentioned those two Kingdoms ruled by Men.

"Yes, you both have a good point, though I am unsure how to tell people to stop gossipping without revealing that I know where you are hiding."

Then he turned back to Dior and Nimloth.

"Forgive the uncomfortable question as a reminder of something unpleasant, but do either of you know the identities of those...young ladies who tried to be unladylike around Dior?"

He was referring to those who had tried to bed Dior against his will, the goal to become a secret mistress to him after being bribed into it by Thingol. Eluréd and Elurín was still a bit too young to learn why several unfamiliar, scantily clad ladies had been trying to sneak up on their father in places inside the palace garden where few people would be around. One of them even had been brazen enough to almost assaulting him in the bath, though Nimloth had saved him with chasing out the other She-Elf from their living wing under loud curses, not allowing the female attacker getting anything to cover herself up with and thus had to face the shame of being seen in her birthday suit by everyone on the way back to where she had came from, the long hair barely being enough protection to cover her most sacred feminine body parts.

"I know roughly five faces among the eight who tried to disrespect him in that manner, Three of them have to be born after that we died, but all eight of them are the unwed daughters of high courtiers, who holds high favor with Thingol at his court. Perhaps he even told each one of them that if the daughter managed to bed Dior, she would replace me as his wife. I am not deaf to rumours that I am not really suited to be Dior's wife outside that I am an descendant of Elmo, people worries that I encourage him into...strange things."

Nimloth spoke all of that information in a perfectly calm voice, but Elrond could sense the humiliation in her aura as she wrote down the names of the She-elves and their fathers.

"I will pass on a request to Elmo to have the fathers removed from office with a legal reason and the daughters quickly married off to someone living far away. Perhaps some lesser-ranked noblemen among the Vanyar that does not hold so high position at the court? I know that King Ingwë have tried to encourage more marriages to Sindar Elves since his oldest grandson wed a Sinda bride," Elrond offered to lessen the change in atmosphere.

"With pleasure," both Dior and Nimloth responded at the same time, something which could happen after many years of marriage between two people, in a much happier voice at the thought of not having to deal with those annoying She-elves anymore in the future.

Elrond promised to ensure that the list with names would be given to Elmo or one of his allies. But as he already had been gone from his own family for almost two months, Elrond could not remain in the Woods for long, and simply had to return home to his hospital where he knew that new patients were waiting for help. His sons Elladan and Elrohir had trained to learn the basic knowledge of healing under his watch, yet Elrond felt more confident by handing some things himself.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

A few more weeks passed while Maedhros rented a room at the local inn in the Waterfall village. The summer heat remained at a steady temperature broken periodically by rain, promising a rich harvest that year for the farming families. It happened from time to time that Dior sneaked into the forest with either Nimloth or Celegorm to do something else, but Maedhros never mentioned it and gladly took the focus on watching the twins so they would be distracted.

Soon Celegorm got a reminder of that late summer hunt, from a message bird which Oromë sent out to all of his followers.

"A hunting festival? Only for adults?" Dior asked when the Fëanorian told them of the hunt.

"Yes. Oromë is very strict about the the age of those who are there have to be past their coming-of-age, and I think that the boys may have a unpleasant reminder of the past if they sees too much bl…"

Suddenly they all heard the sound of someone throwing up on the ground. It was Elurín, who had seemed a bit green in the face just minutes earlier.

"Elurín!? I told you both to not taste on those mud pies you made with Huan earlier today!" Nimloth scolded in a mix of anger and worry as she brought her younger son inside.

A checking revealed that Elurín was in no danger of illness, but that he likely would not feel too well for the rest of that day and possibly the following day too.

"Go to the hunting festival and have some fun, you three, while I babysit those two. I have helped Maglor caring for your grandsons back when he took on the role of fostering them, even when they were ill," Maedhros offered while gently keeping Eluréd away from his brother with one long arm, in case Elurín might throw up again due to a upset stomach.

Dior looked hesitant to leave his sons now when one of them seemed to be sick, but Nimloth whispered something to him which seemed to convince him that it would be alright. Besides, Maedhros would have Huan as help if something happened.

"...fine," Dior admitted, turning around to pack a few necessary things in a saddlebag so they could leave the cottage within a hour. As soon as he was out of the room, Nimoth and Celegorm shared a look.

"Let's _**distract**_ him properly during the hunt."

"Agreed, my lady."

That was something they were in agreement about, at least.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note: Celegorm calling Luthien a enchantress is meant to both symbolic her inherited Maia powers and be a pun on the fact that her name actually seem to mean "enchantress" in Tolkien's early writings of his Elven languages

And yes, I am a big shipper of Celebrimbor and Narvi as a couple


	13. Chapter 13

**Hunter and prey**

They could hear the hunting horns in the distance as they rode on, a calling to be gathered.

"Since this is the first time you two are here, I will guide you to a small camp to call your own during the festival. One where is likely to be a little more quiet and less shocking, there have been causes of some newcomers ending up witnessing the far wilder celebration."

Dior laughed nervously at realizing what Celegorm might mean.

"And people claims that you are a untamed savage…"

"Only in battle against the evil tainted by Morgoth. I prefer to be more gentle with those who catches my eye," Celegorm responded in a clearly manner of flirting, making Dior blush. Behind them, Nimloth snickered for herself.

When taking a break to let the horses rest for a little while, Celegorm revealed that he had picked up some make-up normally used by the Avari Elves. Carefully, he slightly altered Dior's face by painting around his seeing eye to resemble a cat eye with a dark gold coloured paint for a contrasted eyeshadow, a white powder then was added into the area between the eyeshadow and eyebrow, and braiding in some bone pearls into his hair while ensuring that the blind eye was still half-hidden, a style only used by a male Avari Elf when he got married. Nimloth got a similar makeup on her face which looked very dramatic against her darker skin, though she was able to add it on herself with borrowing a large hunting dagger from Celegorm as a provisional mirror.

"I think a disguise as a newly married Avari hunter with a Silvan bride could help masking that Dior is looking a little younger than us two despite being a fully grown adult, because that might be a clue for those who are searching for your family," Celegorm explained as Dior got to see the finished look in the dagger as well.

"Yes. When I, Nimloth and the boys temporary met Elros in the Halls before he left on the Path of Men, he joked about the irony that I, as the grandfather, looked like I could be the grandson instead of the other way around due to that Elros died at the age of five hundred years. But since it was done in good humour, I just could not get offended because he tried to break the ice as much as possible between us before he had to leave," Dior said, wishing that he could meet his other grandson again one day.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

At arriving to the meeting place, there was many people who greeted Celegorm as they rode past.

"Handsome pair you picked up this year, Tyelkormo! Aiming for some double fun in the bedding furs this time?"

Even if the comments was friendly meant, Dior felt himself tense up, his mind once again hearing the ghostly whispers from Thingol's court about the physical beauty he had inherited from Luthien, or how unworthy he was of being her son.

"Oi, Aranel, no time to space out at the moment!" Celegorm called, using one of Dior's lesser used names he once had been given in honor of becoming the new King of Doriath. But they had been so rarely used even in his short reign that few might realize who he was. Nodding, Dior followed after his wife and his Fëanorian lover.

The closer they got to where the Maiar and Oromë must be, Dior noticed that the glowing green pattern on his skin began to be more and more visible. As he was not used to it being seen by others, Dior pulled on a thin summer robe that would not be too warm during the summer. The markings which showed up around his eyes and eyes, he could do nothing about, though.

"You have all the rights to cover up yourself if you feel uncomfortable."

As Celegorm had another task to do, he left them after choosing a small area to be their own camping place during the festival, with other Elves around a large bonfire as central point in the meadow. Riders on horses, clearly hunters, rode past between the trees with well-trained dogs from time to time but Nimloth and Dior had no desire to participate in the hunt. Both were fine riders, yes, and knew how to hunt with traps but actual hunting from a horse was something they never had tried. There had been a far too great risk of possible injury when it was just the two of them.

As they enjoyed some ripe cherries offered by another couple, Dior sensed a presence he had not expected to be there. Like many other newcomers, they had originally believed that this would be in the great Huntsman's honour, without him being present there. So naturally Dior was a little shocked to find out that Oromë himself would participate in the hunt and that there would be Maiar there too. Could they sense the blood of Melian in his veins, thinking that he was a unfamiliar Maia? He hoped not, his grandmother had always felt like an intimidating presence for him every since his first look at her and she had scared him in a very different manner than Thingol. People had no idea about the great inner relief which he had felt within him when the news about Thingol's death and Melian's disappearance from Doriath had arrived.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

As the sun was setting, the small army of hunters led by Oromë returned to the camp with cheers and laugher. They had gotten a good number of animals, so there was enough meat for everyone.

Before he had left to take part of the hunt, Celegorm had given them two white hair ribbons to tie in their hairs, a silent manner of telling others that they would not be given any strong alcohol for one reason or another. Instead, they were given cider with a very low alcohol rate, which fitted their taste better. Drums and flutes was played somewhere as Celegorm came over to them, taking a new piece of meat from a roasting stick over the nearest fire as he did so.

"I hope that it is fine to be here, so far?"

He seemed pleased to see both of them nod, since he must have been a little worried.

"Yes, thank you."

Even if the cider was not so strong, Dior felt like something was almost hypnotic from the music and the very air around them. Like how it would feel later in the autumn and early spring, when the forest animals had their mating period. On the other hand, he was not that shocked by a such through, the Woods held that kind of magic around thanks to its Master. More primitive instincts would awake, the kind of feelings that many pious people among the Eldar would rather avoid thinking of.

"Oh, look. Some fun is starting."

Somehow, Dior found it just fitting that many of the other present Elves had started to dance, some of them even without a thread on their body. Yet it was not really a dance of seduction, just to please the eyes of those present before things changed. He did not protest when Nimloth kissed him, first chastely on the cheek to get his attention, then catching his mouth with her own. A very deep kiss filled with passion, awakening a inner hunger and Dior pulled her closer to himself, desiring more body contact. In the corner of his seeing eye, others too were groping each other as well, or making out in a more gentle manner and he had to swallow hard. Nimloth kissed his cheek as a slight teasing.

"Fun to see others not be so shy about what is a natural part of life, huh?"

Dior nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed by this strange feeling in the air, so different from all else he had experienced. The dancing had become rather vigorous by now, male and female bodies swaying and writhing together and he let out a small breath when he realized that some of the dancing wasn't dancing at all, rather more like claiming each others in the open for everyone else to see it happen.

"Let's have some more private fun, just we two?" Nimloth suggested, pulling him up to leave before Dior got too uncomfortable.

Going back to where they had left their sleeping rolls, Nimloth removed his summer robe in a slow movement, kissing and touching the skin as she did so. She left the long kilt around his hips, so he would be given the choice of revealing himself to her when he wished. Drawing a deep breath to try and lessen the blush on his face, Dior loosened the string which held her riding dress together in the right side. Nimloth preferred to use ankle-long riding breeches when riding her horse bareback, the knee-length leather dress a little added touch of femininity. Afterwards, the tunic in greenish-blue cotton was followed by the breeches, since Nimloth loved to go barefoot in summer. As he had felt so many times before, Dior almost wondered if Nimloth was a dream coming true, for her two pregnancies had added a little more curves on the right places in his view on feminine beauty.

"You can worship me in your private manner if you so wishes."

It was not that Dior hesitated, but he wanted her approval before doing anything. Laying down on her side but not facing her husband, she took a position in which it was easier for him to pleasure her with his mouth and tongue. When she felt that it was his turn to be given some pleasure as well, Nimloth stopped what she was doing for a few seconds so she could remove the kilt from him and place Dior with his back against the strong, smooth tree for balance, then into a sitting position so she could place herself between his spread legs. That way, he would be able to see more of the coupling but not be seen himself in the shadows. As Nimloth started to kiss his bared skin on the thighs and groin area again, Dior saw something new from this angle:

Celegorm, kneeling in front of Oromë, but looking a lot different from normally even if it was not the first time the half-Elven had seen him in only a long loincloth for modesty. The headdress was made of a large wolf skull, the feathers of pheasants and antlers of a deer fasted to the skull. Copper disks in a circular shape was fastened as a belt around his waist, the same metal used for the bracelets he wore on both arms. Bullseye-like markings on his shoulders and around the arms, two long board strips over his closed eyes down to the jaw, all done with a bright red colour that must be symbolic blood from the successful hunt.

Even with the overall feral look, Dior felt himself wanting Celegorm. He had not taken the Fëanorian in a rough manner since that outburst a few weeks ago, but the mere thought of someone else taking him while dressed like that…

"Ah!"

He had been so distracted by the view of Celegorm that Nimloth took him by surprise at first with taking his manhood in her mouth. Once she had stimulated him to become hard enough for intercourse, she stopped.

"I think you will have to wait a little with Celegorm, honey. Look at what the Huntsman is doing," Nimloth whispered softly, carefully straddling him as Oromë kissed the third son of Fëanor, Celegorm moving as smoothly like a cat to lay down on his back in the grass, arms held above his head in the sea of silver-coloured hair in a inviting manner, the legs pulled up and spread as far as he could. Clearly offering himself to be claimed in body by the Huntsman of the Valar.

For a moment, Dior could almost imagine Celegorm like that in a very different manner, not on a grass but in a bed, in a fantasy where the Fëanorian was a lawful secondary Consort to him in Doriath. Apparently Nimloth planned something extra, for Dior felt her take him inside her sacred place just as Oromë lowered himself above Celegorm, taking back his attention to herself.

"N...Nim…..!" Dior moaned as she worked with her hips to give him pleasure, grabbing hold of the grass under his hands as she rode him, the arousing sounds of Celegorm groaning in pleasure and the steady thrusts in which he had to be taken heard in the background. Nimloth did not mind that Dior had some trouble focusing on her currently, they were in a very different place than normally when they made love, and there was a lot of sounds and surroundings that could distract him a little. Dior almost jumped in shock at the sudden sound of Celegorm howling very loudly, but Nimloth managed to keep the rhythm of her movements to calm him. Pushing their upper bodies together, Dior heard himself screaming Nimloth's name as he was brought to climax, her own following just mere moments after.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Celegorm smiled for himself at the sound of Dior's scream somewhere behind the trees, as Oromë raised himself up again from the Noldo. No one would think twice about it, it was a perfectly normal part of this state of the hunting festivals.

"I would like my husband back now for myself, cutie."

A light nudge in his ribs with bare toes, a silent request for him to move away. He knew already who it was.

"Just one moment to regain a little strength, my lady."

Vána giggled in a teasing manner, moving her hips in a promising way for Oromë before transforming herself into a slender doe as her dress of summer flowers fell apart, jumping over a few of the Elves who had to duck for the hooves just above their heads and setting off deeper into the forest where the only light was from the stars.

"Oh? You want to be claimed in _that_ manner today?" Oromë grinned at seeing the many flowers left behind on the grass, then hurrying over to Nahar, mounting his great steed to chase after his escaping wife. Celegorm did not mind being left behind, being claimed by the Huntsman during a Hunting festival was a great honor here in the Woods and only done to those who was seen as worthy. Removing the bracelets now when his role as a symbolic sacrifice was over, Celegorm knew what he wanted to do now.

Dior did not have the energy for a second round really yet, so he and Nimloth just setted for some close cuddling after drinking some more of the cider, her below him with his face buried in her hair. Just doing so was wonderful, the feeling of warmth skin contact and the sound of their hearts beating. Like a cat, Dior used his tongue to lick Nimloth as a way of attention. They did notice when Celegorm sat down beside them.

"Do you feel brave enough to sharing your wife?"

Looking up to see where Celegorm pointed towards another bonfire, Dior responded with a death glare of firm refusal at seeing the exact manner he meant. Nimloth laughed at seeing Celegorm recoil nervously at being hit with that glare, even as Dior pressed her down against the grass with his own weight as a silent protest.

"That would heighten the risk of me possibly getting pregnant with a child whose paternity is gonna be a target for harmful gossip, especially if the baby have red hair that does not exist in our known families."

Well, Dior had every right to want to keep his wife for himself, and Celegorm himself was a good example of how a unusual hair colour could show up unexpectedly in a family where no one else had it. Only when people had recalled that Miriel had silver hair, did the gossip of his own paternity die down even if Fëanor himself had never doubted Nerdanel's faithfulness towards him.

"Then...perhaps this? Try and distract him for a little bit, Nimloth."

Dior gasped at feeling a oil-covered hand on his back, slowly massaging his skin as it slid downwards. There was no doubt about what Celegorm planned, not as he started to touch Dior in the gentle manner to prepare him for being taken, using his fingers just like the first time he had claimed Dior in body. Nimloth started to kiss her husband again, borrowing some oil to coat her thighs, which she then closed tightly around his manhood, her arms pulling him closer against her chest. That was another one of the positions Dior preferred over taking her directly, not just to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, but because of the way she could get pleasure from the stimulation. Strong hands grabbed his hips, before feeling of being penetrated made Dior gasp and close his eyes, because of how it felt. He had heard about sex between three people being talked about in hushed whispers like something sinful, few wanting to explain what it really meant.

Celegorm kissed Dior's neck, caressed his back as he started to thrust, whispering softly into his ear gentle words of encouragement. As always, the Fëanorian was very careful, trying to focus on Dior's pleasure first and his own later. Dior himself couldn't even begin to describe it, there was a sensation of being claimed in this manner while Nimloth hugged him close. The waves of pleasure was so strong that he now almost was crying openly with need. On his skin, the glowing green marks now formed a complete pattern, causing his seeing right eye to glow in the manner of the Maiar. Dior clinged to Nimloth as Celegorm kept bringing him close to the edge, unable to make any other noise than mewing attempts of pleading. Tears were flowing down along his cheeks, as he gasped for breath.

"P...please…"

Nimloth pulled her thighs together just a little bit more than before, and that was enough to make Dior come hard. The glowing pattern was not blinding, but both she and Celegorm could tell how intensive it must feel for Dior. Once Celegorm finished as well and pulled out, he allowed Dior to collapse down over Nimloth. The half-Elven was trembling in his whole body as Nimloth held him in a tight embrace before he slid down on the ground beside her, faint whimpers from his gasping mouth revealing a minor shock over how intensive he had felt. Laying down on Dior's other side and pulling up a blanket over Dior, Celegorm stroked his hair tenderly.

"Let's rest. I doubt that any of us three can do anything more this night."

Dior was too excused to do anything else than nodding weakly in agreement. For the first time, he had felt a true connection to his Maia inheritage, even if it was just for a short moment in the middle of a massive pleasure. He felt a faint kiss from Nimloth again as she moved close to him.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

It was the light of dawn which woke Dior up the next morning. There was a small open spot between the leaves above his face, where a little ray of sunlight broke straight into his right eye. Besides, there was another, slightly pressing demand from his body that needed to be done soon. Tying the long kilt around his waist for modesty, Dior left the place where he, Nimloth and Celegorm had fallen asleep together.

Once the more pressing need had been dealt with, Dior cupped his hands to catch some water to drink from a small stream. The low-alcohol cider had been very nice yesterday evening, but with so many Elves and Maiar around, he doubted that it was much left after the feast. As he finished drinking, he felt something land on his arm. A flower petal in a very light ice blue colour. But the petal was not the only one, a small flow of flower petals in same colour was carried towards him, linking together by overlapping each others to form a long robe over his body which did not feel too tight anywhere like those horrible court robes Thingol insisted for his court. No, this natural robe was easy to move in, feeling almost like a second skin.

"I thought that you may be a little more comfortable with something to wear. I can sense whatever some of the guests here at the festival can feel underdressed at times."

It was Vána who had come, flowers once again forming a dress for her to be clothed in. She showed no signs of the more wild side of herself from yesterday, rather now she seemed calm and very much pleased by her husband.

"That was very considerate of you, my lady."

Understanding that Dior may not want any close touch at the moment, Vána instead stroked his cheek with a white flower petal as a sign of tenderness. She actually almost seemed a little sad.

"It is a such shame that Melian is a such irresponsible mother and grandmother, seeing no fault in one generation and yet so many wrongs in the following one. I blame that on the fact that she is the only known Maia to actually have a child, and never was trained to care for a child or understand how the Children are… different from us who was created by the All-Father in the beginning of Time."

"And negligent in how to teach things properly as well, lessons that you should have been given despite that you showed all signs of being mortal in your first life."

Even Oromë showed up to lay a strong arm around his smaller wife, tossing his head to Dior to come along. Something made him follow with the two Valar, a bit further into the forest.

They stopped at a small tree, where one single fruit was hanging from a branch. It seemed to be a pomegranate fruit, based on colour and shape. Expect that there was something of pulsing from it, like a heartbeat.

"Your deepest problem with Thingol is that he always have been able to overpower you in the past, right? Despite being a normal Elf with no special powers, he was a fearsome figure for a small child simply from that height of his alone, and he held authority as a King while you merely was the son of his beloved daughter. But this…."

Vána picked the pomegranate in both her slender hands, handing it over to Oromë who held out a hand to offer Dior the fruit.

"This is something Vána have grown only for you, a single bite will allow you to gain all the control over the Maia powers you inherited from your mother and grandmother you never managed to truly control in the past. You can switch the roles in the power game your family is playing, from a pawn to someone in control. You can _overpower your grandfather_ and show him what a mistake it actually is to mistreat someone who have different powers."

It felt almost too good to be true, with a such offer as the pomegranate was placed in his hands. Dior could recall all the times he had wished for a way to strike back at Thingol, the humiliation he had suffered for failing to keep Doriath remain as a Kingdom, and the abuse over that he wanted to keep a male lover beside Nimloth. How Thingol refused to accept any flaws from Luthien, while belittle him as a failure.

And yet….

And yet…!

The faces of Nimloth and Celegorm. His beloved twin sons, other allies which he still had despite everything which had gone so wrong in the past.

And the faces of Luthien and Beren, who had started the whole mess leading to his death with the Quest for the Silmaril. Their own love, in a way of selfishness depending on who you asked, which had been his doom.

Like a act of defiance against his famed parents, Dior did bite into the pomegranate. Almost at once, the green pattern which symbolized his Maia powers, started to form on his skin and a faint golden light started to shine around him, something different from the normal Elven glow. There was no pain as he had feared, yet Dior could feel that something was changing inside his body. While there was no changing of his blindness, something did still change in his left eye, the milky white pupil now glowing a deep green as he was transformed.

With a smile Vána snapped on her fingers, transforming the flower petal robe into real fabrice just as the golden light surrounded Dior completely.

"You are welcome to claim your grandmother's forsaken place as one of my Maiar if you so wishes, and this is the name I thus give you…. _ **Taurwë**_ **!** " Vána called out loudly, Oromë using his own powers of the Woods to let everyone living there to feel the new power no matter how far away they were.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

It was felt even in the far south, making Thingol wake up so suddenly that he sat up in bed as reaction, gasping violently for breath as cold sweat stuck to his skin. He could not explain why, but he felt truly terror-struck from a instinct to flee, that there was danger coming.

Looking around in the little sun light from the dawn outside the closed window, he saw that Melian's half of the grand bed still was neatly made, a sign of that she had yet to return home. Why, Thingol did not know but he had started to grow really worried over the past weeks with no contact from his wife.

"I feel so lost and exposed without her presence…"

He hoped that Dior and his family was found soon. Half a year had already passed since their disappearance, and with the Valar refusing to help out, Thingol felt like others was beginning to ridicule him for failing to keep his own relatives under control.

Suddenly, there was footsteps in the corridor outside. Was his valet already up this early? Well, the reason did not matter, Thingol thought that maybe something light to drink could help him fall back into sleep, it was too early for him to get up for a new day anyway.

Unaware of the danger which laid just behind the door to the bedroom, Thingol laid a hand on the golden handle to call for his valet.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Author's note: Outside having the title as King of Doriath, Dior was also called Eluchíl "Heir of Elu", Aranel "Noble Elf" or "King of Elves", and the Fair. I have the headcanon that he was only called Eluchíl after being crowned as a sign of being a legal heir to Thingol, and Aranel as a sign of respect for a King. As for him being called the Fair, I think it is pretty obvious with his very unique lineage from his parents since Melian is the only known Maia to have a child with one of the Children of Eru and Luthien was called the fairest of all beings in Arda.

The link for where I found inspiration for Celegorm's look at the ceremony:  post/128316925026/i-am-stress-arting-again-have-a-priestcelegorm

Taurwë is a Quenya name which means Woods/Forest Being


	14. Chapter 14

**A choice made, and a new fate**

Celegorm had first awoken in alarm at the raw power felt in the air, exactly as Nimloth did, and with Dior nowhere to be seen, both had almost freaked out in fear that it was a hint to that Dior might be in danger.

"It better not be anyone in the service of Thingol…!"

If they were found out in a situation like this, and he very close to the couple, who knew what Thingol might do if he still was on the throne. For all the consequences which would happen at a new kinslaying, Thingol might even try to actually kill Dior this time, by having others do the deed so he could keep his hands clean from blood.

"Dior?! Where are you?!" Nimloth called in clear worry.

"Calm down, there is no danger to worry about. He just got a unexpected strong strong reaction to one of those fruits I grow."

Vána was sitting behind a oak tree not far from where their camping place was, with a peacefully sleeping Dio with his head in her lap. He was unharmed, but there was something about him which seemed just a little bit different. Like how the green marks around his eyes had not truly faded like how they had done before. Nimloth, who had been so terrified, hurried to catch her sleeping husband in her arms, as if she wanted to shield him from the world.

"The fruits you sometimes give as a offer to help those with poor self-esteem, my lady?"

Celegorm himself had gotten a such fruit to eat after his rebirth, because the Oath and the rejection from Luthien had left so massive emptiness inside him. Even in a new body, the first days in the Gardens of Lorien had been dangerous because he just could not move past that empty feeling in his soul.

"Exactly. I guess that his Maia blood reacted on that it was my own powers as a Vala to create that fruit. I may not be Nienna, but I still want to help out in some way if I can."

Dior woke up roughly half a hour later, his mind feeling a little foggy but he was perfectly able of telling them what had happened in his own words and admitted that right now, he did not feel like he had changed much.

"The powers inside those fruits depends on who that eats them. For example, I had difficult to find anything to live for, and the fruit helped me to remember that I had a family who loved and cared for me even in my worst moments. In a way, it also helped me to never wanting to become that feral shadow of myself again," Celegorm explained, revealed how he still had almost seemed like a wraith even in his new body.

"Good to know that at least. I do not want to cheat in how to gain enough self-confidence to stand up again my grandfather, but I think that I really needed that kind of push towards a such step…"

"Dior, you have every legal reason to get some outside help! Especially as you were not exactly treated well by him!" Nimloth added in, handing her husband some tea to drink. She had sensed the doubt inside him, and worried that he may regret eating that fruit. Besides, if Vána had given him a new name to symbolize how she accepted Dior as one of her Maiar to replace Melian, it basically meant that he had gotten yet another protector who Thingol was at a disadvantage to. Oromë and Vána was perhaps not the most powerful Valar, but they were the rulers of the Woods and anyone who dared to disrespect someone under their protection, was almost literally asking to be hunted down like a prey animal by their followers.

"Let's wash off, dress in our normal clothes, eat breakfast and then return home. Perhaps it is the familiar of home that you need," Celegorm suggested and since the married couple had no other ideas of their own, they did agree.

Before they left the camp, Vána promised to send one of her own Maiar to help Dior train in how to control his powers. She had her own duties to do, but that was understandable.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

At their arrival back home to the cottage, Maedhros could tell the worried parents that Elurín had recovered during the night, but that he and Eluréd had been told to play indoors today just in case if he became ill again.

"I think they have learnt a small lesson. And I was raised to allow younger children learn from mistakes, or else they would become foolish as adult," Maedhros said with a side glare on the boys to ensure that they really did not attempt to sneak outside when his back was turned.

"Yes, I think that is why I also was drawn to Nimloth long before we fell in love and married. The other noble daughters was...more sheltered, you can say. Nimloth have told me several times that they were raised to never do anything unacceptable before the wedding night."

"Never having gone out to _waltzing in the woods_ , you mean?" Celegorm grinned, which earned him a light tug on the hair from Maedhros as a silent scolding. Though judging from the look Nimloth gave him, it was pretty much straight on.

"There is nothing wrong with chastity before marriage, of course, but there is also the danger of it becoming a obsession for those who want to really ensure that there is no ladies of high status getting knocked up or youngsters who gets stranded with a child out of wedlock."

Of course Maedhros would know some of that, even if he always had been careful to not always bed someone. The Noldor was in general more free to allow their young members fool around a bit before marriage as long as it did not ruin someone's social reputation or ended in a pregnancy. Especially those who had been among the Exiles, had often cared for foundlings, babies or small children with no parents in sight, since there was a possibility of that a quick sharing of bed could have resulted in a child born a year later.

"That is exactly where Nimloth stood out from the rest of the other maidens who was a possible choice to be my wife. She had kept herself chaste, but she was also bold enough to ask trustworthy servants and her own parents about necessary details which happens in the marital bed…" Dior admitted with a small blush as he looked against where his wife had vanished into the kitchen to make some lunch for them all. Well, that much was understandable, she was that kind of female who wanted to be well prepared for things that would happen sooner or later, and gathering information that would not harm her virginity was just something useful. It clearly had helped her and Dior in the long run, at least.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Just as promised, the next following weeks was kept busy for Dior as he trained on using his powers with a female Maia sent by Vána. It seemed that the Ever-Young Lady had sensed that Dior felt more comfortable to remain at home, where he could be seen by his family. His female teacher proved to be a practical woman, focusing on taking small steps and not forcing him into something.

"If you simply is uncomfortable to use your powers, try to at least train enough to have control. Melian really slacked off about this, just because her own daughter proved to be a natural in using her powers it is not always easy to control for others."

For now, at least, Dior was content enough with learning to try and control the vines as a defense. Maedhros and Celegorm helped out in that, by using their padded wooden swords almost like real weapons, so Dior would instinctively have the vines show up around him as a barrier so there would be no direct hits on him. During one such training, the two brothers was sent flying backwards by being hit by a air force because Dior freaked out thanks to suddenly having a trigger of Celegorm trying to kill him in the past.

"Damn it, Melian, the Second Kinslaying would never have happened if you just had trained your grandson properly!" Maedhros swore under his breath as Nimloth and the twins tried to calm down Dior, which was far from easy when the vines still was held up between them. At his side, Celegorm sat up with a groan, trying to catch his breath because it really had felt like a punch in the stomach area.

Once Dior had calmed down, he was told to try and grow some seeds into fully blooming flowers as a test. This time, he would try and use his powers by singing. Placing the seeds in one hand and holding the other just above, he opened his mouth.

It was nothing elegant like how Celegorm recalled Luthien singing in Nargothrond, but rather that Dior formed a simple prayer of requested fertility to Yavanna into a song rather than saying the words normally. Yet it worked, a soft green light formed around the seeds and made them grow as he sang softly. he had come a long way since starting on the training.

Dior was finally starting to show the personality he had been having all long, before he had been crushed by the burden of Kingship and the life under Thingol. Even if he did not want to return to a position of being a King even a prince, he still had a noble air around himself which was far more pleasant than how Thingol had carried himself, arrogance and stubbornness.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

One early morning in the middle of autumn as Maedhros had returned home to Formenos, Dior saw a messenger bird in the window. At seeing his own and Nimloth's names in the familiar handwriting, opened it to read. Celegorm, who had brought in new firewood, saw his younger lover standing still like a statue, staring at the open letter.

"I hope that it is not any bad news?"

To his surprise, Dior suddenly laughed. A bitter laugh, but also in a manner of being very pleased.

" _My grandfather have been removed from the throne and forced to abdicate._ "

Ah, so Elmo's planned coup had succeeded. Based on what he had written, the coup had actually happened a month ago, but the main players had pretended that Thingol had been staying inside his chambers as a part of a very intensive, almost fanatic prayer ritual to Manwë and Varda that Dior's family would be found before winter. But in reality, Thingol had actually been spirited away to a secret house where he was locked away from the rest of the world. Now Elmo had undergone a official coronation to make the change of ruler over the Sinda court legitimate, with the story of that Thingol had gotten a nervous breakdown caused by a heavy strike of grief over his long-lost daughter, and had entered the Halls of Nienna to explain his absence.

"Did you not say something of that Thingol might have planned a similar fate for you if you kept disappointing him for reasons linked to the past?"

Dior snorted.

"Most likely also forcing me to drink some concoction claimed to be fertility drugs and bedding some of those already mentioned maidens as secret mistresses until that one of them gave birth to a black-haired girl which he could try raising as a younger copy of my mother."

Given that his sons had inherited the silver hair which nearly everyone of the males in their family had, but only Elwing and Luthien had the same black hair as Melian, Celegorm could see what Dior had meant. A illegitimate daughter from Dior without the raven locks of Luthien would be rejected by Thingol, just for lacking that little detail even if the child otherwise was healthy.

"Hm...it seems like he will be the main event of a trial soon, for how he treated you before your family chose to escape this spring."

"As long as I do not need to be present at that trial, I am happy. I refuse to see him in a situation where he will once again accuse me of being a ungrateful grandson and a shame for my mother to have birthed. No, I will only see him with his mouth shut and himself tied up so he can not touch me anymore."

Other people may have called Dior cold-hearted over such words, but not Celegorm. Rather, it gave him something of a wicked idea.

"Hey, Dior. Ask your teacher if she know some of the Maiar who lives in the Gardens of Lorien. Once the trial is over, I think we can give your grandfather a nightmare come true given how fanatic he is about keeping you to females..."

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Roughly a week or so later, the newest talk across Valinor was about Thingol and the trial which the Valar had held. Abuse in any form was seen as a horrible thing to do because it was something which greatly reminded former slaves of Angband about the horrors they had suffered there, and a even more unspeakable deed to do so against your own relatives. With the evidence of the secret diary Nimloth had written up all of Thingol's abuse against Dior, witnesses revealing the ways of how he had kept belittle Dior, and a name list of the various maidens he had bribed into trying to bed Dior as a mistress, Thingol was found guilty pretty quickly. He had already been stripped of all titles by not only Elmo, but also Olwë, the two younger brothers collaborated against their older brother. Now he had been disowned by basically all his relatives, unable to claim any other relatives than Melian as a wife and the long-gone Luthien as a daughter.

For now, Thingol was kept locked up in the isolated house, with loyal guards watching him 24-7 so no one could free the former King. Whatever a servant was there to clean the few rooms, Thingol was locked inside one room and moved around during the cleaning so he would not use the chance to escape. His now very simple meals was served by the guards as well, a far cry from the elegant food once served in the palace.

At the very moment, Thingol was furious which was visible in his face. The shock he originally had when Elmo had managed the coup and overthrown him, had been replaced by anger a long time ago.

" _ **It have to be that mongrel bastard's idea from the start, and sweet talking my brothers into doing it! Running away with his family as a sign of that the coup should happen soon!**_ "

Out of old habit because he never had accepted Beren as a law-son, he kept looking down on Dior as a unworthy son of his sweet Luthien. In his eyes, it was just unacceptable that his daughter had been stranded with a such weak son. Not just because of his mortal blood from Beren, but also for failing to keep Doriath protected against the Sons of Fëanor! The third main problem about that impossible grandson of his, was that Dior dared to try being with males and not only females as any sane Elf should do!

In his anger, Thingol threw the goblet with fine wine against the wall of the bedchamber, which also served as the dining room because the only other rooms was a small library, a chapel where prayers to the Valar was made and a privy. For him, who remembered how it it was to live in the vast underground city of Menegroth, this small house felt like a bad mockery to live in.

"Why was not Melian at the trial to defend me?! What have they done to her to keep her away from me!?"

Because Thingol had no idea of that Melian in that very moment actually had her spirit trapped inside a human body in the far away lands of Middle-Earth with no way to escape, he believed that the valar must have her locked away somewhere in Valinor.

Suddenly, the fire in the fireplace and candle lights went out like being blown out by a wind, leaving the whole chamber in darkness. There was still some very faint light from the crack between the door and the floor, so the guards in the front room had not suffered the same problem. But when Thingol attempted to open the door so he could request something to get new light in the chamber, he found out that the door was locked shut with several vines. Before Thingol could think further or call for help, he was captured by new vines which bound themselves like ropes over his body, causing him to fall down on the floor since was unable to stand up with his legs pressed together and his arms bound behind his back. His mouth was gagged with some smaller vines, so he could scream.

"So used to be protected by his wife that it is not even funny."

That voice…

As in a mist, two shadows could be hinted in front of the fireplace, one standing and the other one kneeling, the fire no longer extinguished but instead burning again thanks the vines being used to lighten it up. Thanks to the light, Thingol could see the shapes better; both was male, but the hair colours was different. The kneeling one was silver-haired and dressed in a hunting outfilt, and the other one dressed in a forest-green robe, a rather familiar chestnut browned young person wearing a simple crown which looked bundled leaves of copper.

" _Hello, grandfather,_ " Dior greeted Thingol in a calm voice, where he was holding out a hand for Celegorm to kiss like a king being greeted by a loyal subject, " _I have just accepted what my dear mother once rejected in the past. Celegorm is to become my secondary Consort with Nimloth remaining as my wife._ "

~X~X~X~X~X~X

The inspiration for how Dior is meant to be sounding while singing, comes from the song Iruna Etelero sung by the character Lindel in the manga/anime serie Mahou Tsukai no Yome


	15. Chapter 15

**A new path in life**

From the way Thingol got dark red by fury in his face over what Dior just had said, he would have tried to scream if not for the vines which gagged him.

"Sorry, you are a little hard to understand in what you are trying to say at the moment," Dior smiled, focusing his right seeing eye on his grandfather while allowing Celegorm to slowly slide the tips of his fingers along the half-Elven's still cloth-covered chest. Bending down, Dior kissed Celegorm's forehead after moving his face upwards a little bit.

"And do not come nagging here about that story with my mother again, that got old already when she only claimed that Celegorm was a savage brute despite his royal blood and refused him like he had been a annoying stray dog she got tired of after a while."

Celegorm knew that Dior was trying to annoy Thingol as much as possible, taking the chance to taunt his grandfather now when he did not have to fear him anymore. After all, their positions had been switched very effectively by the Valar even if Dior had chosen to not return to his life as a royal prince.

"Besides, _**a King outranks a Princess or Queen consort,**_ right? Which means that, even in this very moment, Dior is far more magnificent and powerful in social rank than Luthien ever could be. Yes, he may not have her powers, but he have something else she lacked; a good dose of common sense and the ability to realize how his actions was going to affect others. As for me… he is more of my type than what she was," Celegorm smirked in triumph, enjoying how Thingol had to listen to his daughter being insulted and unable to do anything about it. It was about time that he was forced to see the flaws of Luthien, rather than ignore them as he normally would do.

At the muffered cry of outrage, likely a attempt to let out a storm of hurtful words which was meant to break Dior's newly acquired self-esteem which he had tried to build up again after the escape over half a year ago. But since he was gagged, they could not hear what he tried to scream at them.

" _ **No, you have no authority over me anymore, since I am no longer a child. I am fully grown, already married with three children and I have been King once as well, even if it was for only four short years. I was the one who suffered the full consequences of my mother rejecting Celegorm as a suitor, with the Noldor viewing Doriath as untrustworthy. It was I who took the killing blow either one of my parents could have suffered before they even had set foot in Angband, because they left chaos in their path to get that bride-prize you wanted for her, a barely hidden attempt to get rid of my father since you did not want anyone to marry her, right?**_ "

Dior knew that some parents had harder to accept that their children would eventually grow up and move out from their childhood home, even if it was the natural way of things. It seemed that Thingol had been able to accept his daughter growing up, but not the idea of that he would no longer be the most important male figure in her life. And Luthien had inherited some of that inability to accept change, with how overprotective she had been of her only child despite that the small family would have been better off with living closer to civilization, for all the things that might seem unimportant at first look but in reality could be very much needed in the long run.

"Come, Dior. Do not waste time on someone who refuses to realize that you are right about things. You have some new in-laws to meet, remember?"

Celegorm would have liked to make Thingol be forced to watching them make love to each other, in a position with Dior as the dominant partner while claiming him, but felt that it would only be a waste of time. It was enough in that Thingol was incapable of harming Dior as in the past, and had to see him finding a male Consort in the most unlikely Elf people would have thought of for that role.

"Yes…..the Valar promised that he is to share the same punishment as my grandmother already have entered. I wonder how much arrogance and pride that will remain after having to live the very different lives of Men, especially among those who are really poor... _unlike actual work, pride does not add food on the table_ , after all."

Behind them, Námo showed up. With the discreet use of his power as Dior and Celegorm made Thingol focus on them, the former Sinda King had his soul ripped out of his body and sent across the world to Middle-Earth. In that very same moment, Dior removed the vines since there was no need to hold still a soulless body.

"His body shall be cared for in the Gardens of my brother, but in a hidden away house where few shall know about. And I believe that you two shall return to your bodies now when that special incense from the Woods should quit working soon."

Dior nodded in understanding while he and Celegorm started to fade away, better that the Elves of Valinor believed that Thingol was to be kept in this guarded house since not all of them knew how deeply his arrogance had been running in his personality.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

In Formenos, Fëanor and almost everyone in his family was waiting for when Celegorm and Dior's family would arrive on the main road that lead to the city. As he had promised, Maedhros had told his parents about what had happened to their third son over this year. Unlike what one might think, they had accepted the idea after some time to think it over and talking too. After all, had not things always been somewhat different with their third son and his sexuality? It was not like Celegorm had caused any massive scandal in the past outside the whole deal with the Kinslayings and everything with Luthien in Nargothrond.

"There they are! They are coming!"

"I want you all on your best behavior now, thank you. This is a welcome meeting for those who will join our family soon," Nerdanel requested to her present sons. Somehow, despite the minor chaos that always happened when they would gather together, they could be found all together in front of their home when Celegorm rode into the city first with Huan running beside his horse, Dior and Nimloth behind him with one son each in front of them on their own horses.

"Sorry for not coming home over summer, I have kept myself busy, as you can see!" Celegorm smiled in honest joy as he dismounted, hugging his parents while his brothers simply greeted him happily. Somehow he was not too surprised over that Curufin almost looked emotionally hurt in a deep way, and perhaps that was not so strange; he had always been close to Celegorm in the past, and the news of Celegorm actually taking the step in finding a spouse to the point of soon entering marriage, must have been a huge shock for the younger brother who must have secretly hoped that his favorite brother would remain unwed.

"Why the sour face, Curvo? It is not like I am moving far away and never returning home again."

Curufin said nothing, but the sharp glance of mutual distrust between him and Nimloth at spotting each other indirectly told the others something deeper.

"I _told you_ to not step into the nursery with five soldiers already dead or dying from her surprise skills with things to throw from her hands! But no, you did not listen back then!" Caranthir muttered under his breath, elbowing Curufin in the ribs while Curufin's wife Astarë glared at her husband for not being in a welcoming mood.

"Well, we had not expected our son to find not just one, but two already married spouses to fall in love with!" Fëanor joked in a far more welcoming manner, showing that Celegorm had inherited some of his charm from his sire. No one was surprised by that Eluréd and Elurín went over to Maedhros almost away since he was the most familiar adult for them there outside Celegorm now.

"It is more like I am the one who will have two consorts…." Dior admitted nervously, unsure how to really respond because the Noldor had a very different view on life than the Sindar. He knew that Fëanor and Nerdanel had married almost scandalous young even if they had been waiting until that they both was of age, but having more than one spouse was basically unheard of unless checking how things was for the first Elves that had awoken in Cuiviénen since they had lived a dangerous life before Oromë had found them and could not trust that their spouses may return from a dangerous hunt or survive a difficult childbirth.

"As if you would be the only known royal with two Spouses, lad. In my youth it was a royal custom among the Dwarven Kings to keep both a Queen consort and a royal concubine as a backup wife if the Queen had trouble with conceive. I even know cases where two male Dwarves have married each other, and my own younger sister was actually born as the soul of a Dwarrowdam in the body of a male!" a deep yet feminine voice suddenly commented from somewhere in the garden where Nerdanel had her work sheds, as a dark-skinned bearded face surrounded by a mass of white-blonde hair looked out for a quick moment before vanishing back inside, making Celebrimbor smile awkwardly at the shocked look of surprise Dior, Nimloth and their sons shared at realizing that it indeed was a Dwarf.

"Yes, people tends to get that reaction at seeing my beloved Narvi. As for what she just said about royal Dwarves having more than one wife, Dwarven sociality is far more complex than what most people thinks…" he explained as Nerdanel offered them to come inside the house.

With Celebrimbor taking the chance to explain some things about being married to a Dwarrowdam since they ended up walking almost side by side, Dior understood that while the House of Fëanor once had been his enemies, they still was a open-minded family with close bonds to each other.

~X~X~X~X~X~X

After a light meal, they took the chance to talk more deeply about what it would mean for Dior and Nimloth to join this family through marriage to Celegorm inside the main parlour, while Eluréd and Elurín was allowed to explore the rest of the large house with Huan as a babysitter.

"As you three already must have talked about, the main issue about this marriage is that it is a very rare kind of marriage outside the Woods where sociality expects unusual things to happen. But some people have to be brave enough to take that step openly, and perhaps you three are those people," Fëanor started in a serious manner.

"My side of the Sindar royal family is willing to agree to it, as long as none of you tries to do anything that will end up harming any member of our little family again. They understand that the Oath did not bring out the best sides of you in the past, but they really want to be sure that it will not happen a second time. Especially as Dior was not treated well by Thingol, who should have been a protector as his grandfather, not a attacker," Nimloth replied in equal seriousness, her arms crossed over her chest where she, Dior and Celegorm had been seated together in a large couch meant for several people.

"That is not something to worry about. Besides, it is not like he was known for a logical mind in the past…." one of the Ambarussa started, before Curufin added himself into the discussion.

"Logical?" The third-to-last brother deadpanned. " _Logical?_ " He turned to meet his parents in a desperate attempt to turn things around. "What is _logical_ about making one of your sons a _secondary_ Consort to a former Sinda King?! Are we not the first royal House of the Noldor, with Atar being Haru's firstborn?"

Consciously, Curufin used Quenya since neither Dior or Nimloth had really gotten the gasp on the different language yet, especially when someone spoke rather fast like he did now. But Celebrimbor had taught his Dwarven wife his native language, and in response Curufin got a rather painful kick on the shin from Narvi to shut him up before he said something hurtful which the two Sinda Elves would understand.

"By that logic, you are basically saying that me being your daughter-in-law is impossible as well and that I am not suitable as your son's consort for being the daughter of a merchant, so please watch what you are saying. Yes, the lad and lass over there is already married, but if they were Dwarves, no one would protest their wish to add in a third member in the marriage!"

No one bothered to correct her about that Nimloth and Dior was adults.

"Atarinkë," Fëanor warned in a low voice which hinted to rare disappointment, " _Sit down._ "

Perhaps to secretly agree with her law-father, Astarë seated herself on the lap of her husband so he would not be able to raise up from the chair so easy.

"Sorry about that, he is not used to the idea of having to share Tyelko with people outside the family," Maglor apologized in Sindarin, his own wife Rainiel nodding.

"Tyelkormo," Nerdanel said gently, "Dearest silver-hunter child of my heart, are you really sure that you will not regret this way of marriage?"

She did not doubt it, only wanted a honest answer.

" _ **Yes,**_ " Celegorm answered honesty, with a side look on Dior and Nimloth.

"We intended to stay low until the day of the wedding, sometime in the coming spring around my 41th birthday in the Woods with Oromë and Vána as patrons to ensure that the marriage really will be approved there at least, and only let people outside the Woods learn about our marriage when it is impossible to split us apart," Dior described, nervously looking around as if expecting someone among his future in-laws to protest.

"Perfectly sane plan. No one would dare to go against the Lord of Forests and his Ever-Young Lady, they are not brutal but have proven themselves to be able of scaring idiots away in the past," Maedhros assured.

Since no one else of the brothers said anything that could be viewed as a protest, Celegorm knew that basically all of his family had agreed to the marriage.

"You are the best family ever!"

Since neither Dior or Nimloth was used to that kind of family group hugs, which was so different from how they had grown up with, they were allowed to slip away before they were caught in it. But Celegorm still somehow managed to catch them both in his strong arms after sliding between two of his brothers.

"Let's celebrate!" someone of the other six brothers called out loudly because of the happy mood in the room, both Amras and Amrod already on the way towards the kitchen.

"I can not say that Curufin's reaction was unexpected, really…." Dior said as he sat back down on the couch, trying to relax a little once all the many new in-laws had hurried to the kitchen to start making a meal befitting the celebration of a new betrothal in the family.

"If he tries to bully you in any manner for marrying Celegorm, he better be ready for that we two likely will join up to tell him off," Nimoth promised as she sat down beside her husband, Celegorm nodding from where he still was standing on the floor.

"My family is nothing like your birth parents and grandparents, Dior. You can say that we are almost like a wolf pack in Elven form, defending each others if it is needed. Curvo needs some time to get used to you two and your sons being part of the family now, but I think that it will go well since we managed to cross this first step."

"That reminds me…" Dior smiled faintly, "Elwing is not going to be happy over this. Yet since she already have proven herself courteous but very much aloof with us since we does not really have much common ground with her outside the blood ties of parents and siblings, I do not think we need to worry."

That made Celegorm laugh yet again, while Nimloth tried to hide a amused smile. Dior himself seemed pleased when each one of them placed a kiss on him, Nimloth on the neck and Celegorm on the hand. Yes, things was not yet perfect and unlikely to ever be, but the painful past was truly behind them now. A new path in life had started, for all three of them and their families. In a few months Celegorm would really become Dior's secondary Consort, starting a new beginning.

"Celegorm? I think I have a reasonable guess to why you might have been drawn to my mother back then despite her inherited Maia powers...something in you must have sensed that she was linked to me somehow, despite that I likely would not have been born at all, if Námo had not been moved to pity by her song."

"That is a far more pleasant explanation than her ensnaring me with her powers, yes. I wonder what the loremasters will react if we tell them that theory instead of what is written down in the history books?"

Dior grinned, apparently excited at the thought of devastate his mother's reputation even more than the social scandal of marrying her rejected suitor now after being reborn. It was that side of him, that would show just how well matched he was to the House of Fëanor.

" _Oh, I am going to love showing her true personality, in the way I remember her from childhood and young adulthood before marrying Nimloth, than the saint of love everyone seem to view her as._ "

That was true words and no empty promises. A plan for what to do after the wedding in spring. And why not? They had all eternity to slowly undo what the legend had made of Luthien.

"As you wishes, my King."

This time, Celegorm kissed Dior directly on the lips, smiling in a way which promised some night fun later when everyone else was asleep.


End file.
